Schools in Bishop Auckland
County Durham · 39 schools
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to County Durham (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
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.
Schools in Bishop Auckland (39)
- Toft Hill Primary School
Primary · Ages 4-11 · DL14 0JA
Ofsted: Outstanding (2014)KS2: 83% expected (2025)93% of first choices got in - Bishop Barrington Academy
Secondary · Ages 11-16 · DL14 6LA
Ofsted: Good (2024)Attainment 8: 39 (2026) - Etherley Lane Primary School
Primary · Ages 4-11 · DL14 7RB
Ofsted: Good (2020)KS2: 74% expected (2025) - King James I Academy Bishop Auckland
Secondary · Ages 11-18 · DL14 7JZ
Ofsted: Good (2017)New report cardAttainment 8: 43.1 (2026)98% of first choices got in - Oakley Cross Primary School and Nursery
Primary · Ages 2-11 · DL14 9UD
Ofsted: Good (2018)KS2: 67% expected (2025) - Ramshaw Primary School
Primary · Ages 4-11 · DL14 9SD
Ofsted: Good (2015)KS2: 73% expected (2025)76% of first choices got in - St Anne's CofE Primary School
Primary · Ages 3-11 · DL14 6LS
Ofsted: Good (2015)KS2: 82% expected (2025)84% of first choices got in - St Chad's Catholic Primary School, Witton Park
Primary · Ages 3-11 · DL14 0EP
Ofsted: Good (2023)KS2: 75% expected (2025) - St John's Catholic School & Sixth Form College
Secondary · Ages 11-18 · DL14 6JT
Ofsted: Good (2019)Attainment 8: 43.8 (2026)97% of first choices got in - Tow Law Millennium Primary School
Primary · Ages 3-11 · DL13 4LF
Ofsted: Good (2013)KS2: 66% expected (2025) - Wolsingham Primary School
Primary · Ages 3-11 · DL13 3ET
Ofsted: Good (2011)New report cardKS2: 88% expected (2025) - Butterknowle Primary School
Primary · Ages 3-11 · DL13 5PB
Ofsted: Requires Improvement (2023)New report cardKS2: 36% expected (2025) - Cockton Hill Junior School
Primary · Ages 7-11 · DL14 6HW
Ofsted: Requires Improvement (2023)New report cardKS2: 65% expected (2025) - Escomb Primary School
Primary · Ages 3-11 · DL14 7SR
Ofsted: Requires Improvement (2023)New report cardKS2: 74% expected (2025) - St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Coundon
Primary · Ages 2-11 · DL14 8NN
Ofsted: Requires Improvement (2024)KS2: 83% expected (2025) - Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law
Primary · Ages 3-11 · DL13 4AU
KS2: 39% expected (2025) - Copeland Road Primary School
Primary · Ages 2-11 · DL14 9JJ
- Prince Bishops Community Primary School
Primary · Ages 2-11 · DL14 8DY
- St Helen Auckland Community Primary School
Primary · Ages 2-11 · DL14 9EN
KS2: 61% expected (2025)97% of first choices got in - St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, Bishop Auckland
Primary · Ages 3-11 · DL14 6QH
KS2: 60% expected (2025)86% of first choices got in - Witton-le-Wear Primary School
Primary · Ages 2-11 · DL14 0BG
KS2: 72% expected (2025)88% of first choices got in - Wolsingham School
Secondary · Ages 11-16 · DL13 3DJ
Attainment 8: 52 (2026)77% of first choices got in - Woodhouse Primary Academy
Primary · Ages 2-11 · DL14 6QW
Showing 20 of 39 schools
By type:Primary schools in Bishop Auckland (30)Secondary schools in Bishop Auckland (4)Nursery schools in Bishop Auckland (2)Special schools in Bishop Auckland (2)Post-16 schools in Bishop Auckland (1)
39
30 primary · 4 secondary
7,610
86% capacity used
9
0 outstanding · 9 good
8,841
1,231 spare places
Ofsted Ratings
Best Schools in Bishop Auckland
View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more
Best Schools in County Durham
Compare all schools across the county
Area Performance (2026)
Attainment 8
36.5
GCSE Eng+Maths
31.2%
School Capacity & Demand
Housing Growth Detected
1,055 new homes approved nearby. This could generate an estimated +264 primary and +190 secondary pupils.
Source: MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years)
Primary Schools
79% occupied · 969 spare places
Secondary Schools
90% occupied · 382 spare places
Questions parents ask about schools in Bishop Auckland
How many schools are there in Bishop Auckland?
Bishop Auckland has 39 open schools: 30 state primary, 4 state secondary or all-through, 2 special and 3 others.
Source: DfE Get Information About Schools
Which schools in Bishop Auckland are rated Outstanding?
1 school in Bishop Auckland was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Toft Hill Primary School. Counting Good as well, 86% of the 28 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.
Source: Ofsted
Which secondary schools in Bishop Auckland get the best GCSE results?
Of the 5 schools in Bishop Auckland with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Wolsingham School, with an Attainment 8 score of 52 and 53% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; St John's Catholic School & Sixth Form College, with an Attainment 8 score of 43.8 and 45% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and King James I Academy Bishop Auckland, with an Attainment 8 score of 43.1 and 30% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.
Wolsingham SchoolSt John's Catholic School & Sixth Form CollegeKing James I Academy Bishop Auckland
Source: DfE school performance data
Which primary schools in Bishop Auckland have the best SATs results?
Of the 22 primary schools in Bishop Auckland with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Cockfield Primary School (88% in reading, 88% in maths); Wolsingham Primary School (88% in reading, 88% in maths); and Evenwood Church of England Primary School (86% in reading, 86% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.
Cockfield Primary SchoolWolsingham Primary SchoolEvenwood Church of England Primary School
Source: DfE school performance data
Are there grammar schools in Bishop Auckland?
No. None of the state secondary schools in Bishop Auckland selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.
Source: DfE Get Information About Schools
Do schools in Bishop Auckland have catchment areas?
Most state schools in Bishop Auckland have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, County Durham allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.
How do I apply for a school place in Bishop Auckland?
Apply to County Durham through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.