West Pelton Primary School, Stanley
West Pelton Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Stanley. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 15 schools in Stanley with published results, and 13,133rd of 14,452 across England. It was 50% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 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
West Pelton Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at West Pelton Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 50% 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 67% in reading and 67% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at West Pelton Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 3 families put West Pelton Primary School as their first choice and 8 named it as one of their preferences, for 3 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at West Pelton Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to West Pelton Primary School are Roseberry Primary and Nursery School (0.8 miles, Good, 68% reading, 72% maths); Beamish Primary School (0.8 miles, 43% reading, 57% maths); Stanley Burnside Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 65% reading, 85% maths); and East Stanley School (1.6 miles, 61% reading, 71% maths).
West Pelton Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Roseberry Primary and Nursery SchoolBeamish Primary SchoolStanley Burnside Primary SchoolEast Stanley School
Who goes there
54.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (91%) and Black (9%).
In 2026, 15 pupils (27.3%) received SEN support and 4 (7.3%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
West Pelton Primary School had 5 teachers in 2026, one for every 10 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Station Road, about 2.8 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Twizell Road End (n-bound), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood West Pelton Primary School 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 36 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in County Durham (84).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, West Pelton Primary School issued 10 suspensions, 14.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2019, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
This school has high expectations for pupils. Pupils learn important knowledge and skills across many subjects and achieve well.
The school prepares pupils well for life beyond the Year 6. Pupils' horizons are widened through relevant and meaningful educational experiences. Leaders widen pupils' view of the world through planned visits beyond their locality. This raises pupil aspirations and supports them to make informed choices about their future.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Since the last inspection, the school has reviewed its curriculum The school has thought about what pupils learn and in what order they learn it across all subjects. There is an effective two-year cycle in place that allows pupils to learn knowledge and skills one year and then reinforce and apply their learning in the following year. The school has identified the most important vocabulary pupils need for each lesson. Teachers emphasise this vocabulary in their teaching to ensure that pupils can understand and use these new words.
The school ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access a broad and balanced curriculum. The school regularly checks the knowledge pupils have remembered. However, strategies to help pupils, particularly those with SEND, make links between their current and prior learning are less developed. This means they find accessing the content of some lessons difficult.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2019 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
54.5%
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 remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 67% to 50% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 75% to 83% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
10.6
Avg class size
10.0
Infant (KS1)
14.5
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with West Pelton Primary School
Before and after school care
West Pelton Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in County Durham
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to West Pelton Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. West Pelton Primary School 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
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 West Pelton Primary School
Will you get a place at West Pelton Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against West Pelton Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for West Pelton Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to West Pelton Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from County Durham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at West Pelton Primary School 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
50%
Available places
52 pupils
105 places
53 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Stanley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stanley
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(9)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
34.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
55
Total Pupils
25
Boys
30
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
11.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£43,477
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,029
Per pupil
£533k
Total funding
£42k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.3%
Overall absence
25.9%
Persistent absence
54
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about West Pelton Primary School
What are SATs results like at West Pelton Primary School?
Of the pupils at West Pelton Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 50% did so in maths.
What is West Pelton Primary School's Ofsted rating?
West Pelton Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for West Pelton Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When West Pelton Primary School 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 West Pelton Primary School?
West Pelton Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 50% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at West Pelton Primary School?
Classes at West Pelton Primary School average 10.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to West Pelton Primary School?
West Pelton Primary School has around 55 pupils on roll. 55% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at West Pelton Primary School?
8.3% of sessions were missed at West Pelton Primary School in 2024/25. 25.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to West Pelton Primary School?
Apply through County Durham's coordinated admissions process, naming West Pelton Primary School 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.
Does West Pelton Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
West Pelton Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near West Pelton Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 West Pelton Primary School?
West Pelton Primary School is at Twizell Lane, West Pelton, Stanley, County Durham, DH9 6SQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)