Victoria Lane Academy, Bishop Auckland
Victoria Lane Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bishop Auckland, part of Tudhoe Learning Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 22 schools in Bishop Auckland with published results, and 10,716th of 14,452 across England. It was 77% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to County Durham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Victoria Lane Academy in detail
Victoria Lane Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Victoria Lane Academy. Our school day runs from 8:40am to 3:15pm (32 hours and 55 minutes per week) but children are welcome in school from 8:30am."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, multi-sports, dance, drama, STEM, cooking, gardening and photography.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Victoria Lane Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 65% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in County Durham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 96% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Victoria Lane Academy
For September 2026 entry, 20 families put Victoria Lane Academy as their first choice and 26 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Victoria Lane Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Victoria Lane Academy are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Coundon (under 0.1 miles, Requires improvement, 90% reading, 75% maths); Prince Bishops Community Primary School (1.3 miles); Kirk Merrington Primary School (1.5 miles, Outstanding, 94% reading, 89% maths); and St Andrew's Academy (1.9 miles, 65% reading, 77% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Victoria Lane Academy.
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, CoundonPrince Bishops Community Primary SchoolKirk Merrington Primary SchoolSt Andrew's Academy
The trust
Victoria Lane Academy is one of 7 schools run by Tudhoe Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
54.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 4.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 40 pupils (25.8%) received SEN support and 2 (1.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bishop Auckland Rail Station, about 2 miles away in a straight line.
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Victoria Lane (n-bound), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Victoria Lane Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 45 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, burglary and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in County Durham (84).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Victoria Lane Academy issued 54 suspensions, 31.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
54.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 96% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 78% to 65% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 78% to 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
20.7
Avg class size
21.0
Infant (KS1)
24.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Victoria Lane Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Victoria Lane Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Victoria Lane Academy is in County Durham; for families living there:
- County Durham's school travel policy: School transport policies and strategies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school travel
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 7 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Victoria Lane Academy
Will you get a place at Victoria Lane Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Victoria Lane Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Victoria Lane Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Victoria Lane Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from County Durham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Victoria Lane Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in County Durham got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
77%
Available places
161 pupils
210 places
49 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bishop Auckland
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bishop Auckland
Across County Durham council
Places available
6,581
Applications
4,409
Got 1st preference
97.3%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across County Durham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
27.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
155
Total Pupils
94
Boys
61
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
17.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,082
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,570
Per pupil
£1257k
Total funding
£132k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.2%
Overall absence
24.3%
Persistent absence
136
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Victoria Lane Academy
Questions parents ask about Victoria Lane Academy
What are SATs results like at Victoria Lane Academy?
Of the pupils at Victoria Lane Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 65% did so in maths.
What is Victoria Lane Academy's Ofsted rating?
Victoria Lane Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
What is the catchment area for Victoria Lane Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Victoria Lane Academy is oversubscribed, County Durham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Victoria Lane Academy?
Victoria Lane Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 77% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Victoria Lane Academy?
Classes at Victoria Lane Academy average 20.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Victoria Lane Academy?
Victoria Lane Academy has around 155 pupils on roll. 54% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Victoria Lane Academy?
9.2% of sessions were missed at Victoria Lane Academy in 2024/25. 24.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Victoria Lane Academy?
Apply through County Durham's coordinated admissions process, naming Victoria Lane Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Victoria Lane Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 7 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Victoria Lane Academy?
Victoria Lane Academy is at Victoria Lane, Coundon, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 8NN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)