1
St John's Church of England Academy
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 4UB
1
17 Nov 2022
Top 10 Primary schools in DL1
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2019)
This Top 10 showcases primary schools in the postcode area of DL1. 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
12
Outstanding
1
Good
9
Median inspection year
2019
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 9% · G: 82% · RI: 9% · I: 0%
2
The Rydal Academy
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 4BH
2
31 Jan 2023
3
Springfield Academy
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 2AN
2
5 Jul 2022
4
Heathfield Primary School
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 1EJ
2
19 Jan 2020
5
Red Hall Primary School
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 2ST
2
8 May 2019
6
Northwood Primary School
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 2HF
2
10 Feb 2019
7
Gurney Pease Academy
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 2NG
2
9 Sep 2013
8
Firthmoor Primary School
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 4RW
2
24 Jul 2013
9
Whinfield Primary School
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 3HT
2
6 Mar 2012
10
St Teresa's Catholic Primary School
Darlington • County Durham • DL1 4NL
2
11 Feb 2011
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
Also highly rated nearby
- Skerne Park Academy 3 • Jul 2024
- St Bede's Catholic Primary School Not judged • Jan 2025