1
Framwellgate Moor Primary School
Primary • Community school • Durham • DH1 5BG
Outstanding
Top 10 Primary schools in County Durham
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2019)
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This Top 10 showcases primary schools in the district of County Durham. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total primary schools
208
Outstanding
11
Good
170
Median inspection year
2019
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 6% · G: 88% · RI: 6% · I: 1%
2
Kirk Merrington Primary School
Primary • Community school • Spennymoor • County Durham • DL16 7JB
Outstanding
3
Thornhill Primary School
Primary • Community school • Shildon • County Durham • DL4 1ES
Outstanding
4
Montalbo Nursery & Primary School
Primary • Community school • Barnard Castle • County Durham • DL12 8TN
Outstanding
5
West Cornforth Primary School
Primary • Community school • Ferryhill • County Durham • DL17 9HP
Outstanding
6
Sedgefield Hardwick Primary Academy
Primary • Academy converter • Stockton-on-Tees • TS21 3DA
Outstanding
7
Sugar Hill Primary School
Primary • Community school • Newton Aycliffe • County Durham • DL5 5NU
Outstanding
8
St Michael's Church of England Primary School
Primary • Academy converter • Ferryhill • County Durham • DL17 9AL
Outstanding
9
Howden-le-Wear Primary School
Primary • Academy converter • Crook • County Durham • DL15 8HJ
Outstanding
10
Witton-le-Wear Primary School
Primary • Academy converter • Bishop Auckland • County Durham • DL14 0BG
Outstanding
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 primary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
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Also highly rated nearby
- St Benet's Catholic Primary School, Ouston Outstanding • Jan 2012
- Benfieldside Primary School Good • Sep 2024
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🔒 8 more near-miss schoolsUnlock
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