School profile

Kirk Merrington Primary School

Primary · Community school · Spennymoor, DL16 7JB

Outstanding

Map showing Kirk Merrington Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#1,314 of 15,057

Better than 91% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Kirk Merrington Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 5 Mar 2024

Ofsted rating
Outstanding
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages4 to 11
Pupils180
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Kirsty Hall
Local authorityCounty Durham
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 114074.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolCounty DurhamEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths83%, better than England, better than County Durham62%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.6%, similar to England, similar to County Durham8%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.107, similar to England, better than County Durham105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.107, better than England, better than County Durham104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.107, better than England, better than County Durham105105
Expected standard in reading94%, better than England, better than County Durham74%76%
Expected standard in writing83%, better than England, better than County Durham73%73%
Expected standard in maths89%, better than England, better than County Durham73%75%
Pupils taking tests18--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils180
Girls96
Boys84
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.11.7%
First language not English0%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.175
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.28
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.7
Average class size25.5

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
97.2%
Other mixed
1.1%
African
1.1%
White and Black African
0.6%
Irish
0%
Traveller of Irish heritage
0%
Other White
0%
Gypsy/Roma
0%
White and Black Caribbean
0%
White and Asian
0%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher21.3
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.10.7
Teachers (FTE)8.44
Teaching assistants (FTE)8.42
Support staff (FTE)11.55
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/258.6
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/256.6
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/252
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.25
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.91
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.36
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.24
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolCounty DurhamEngland
Overall absence4.4%, better than England, better than County Durham5.3%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.7.6%, better than England, better than County Durham14%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0%, better than England, better than County Durham0.9%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Kirk Merrington Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
1.0 miSecondaryFerryhill SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.4 miPrimaryMiddlestone Moor AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.5 miPrimaryVictoria Lane AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.5 miPrimarySt Joseph's Catholic Primary School, CoundonAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.6 miSecondaryWhitworth Park AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.7 miPrimaryDean Bank Primary and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
1.7 miPrimaryRosa Street Primary and Nursery AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.8 miPrimaryChilton AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.8 miPrimaryNorth Park Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Kirk Merrington Primary School

What is Kirk Merrington Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Kirk Merrington Primary School is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, last inspected on 5 Mar 2024.

How does Kirk Merrington Primary School rank in England?

Kirk Merrington Primary School ranks 1,314 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 91% of schools).

What are Kirk Merrington Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 83% of pupils at Kirk Merrington Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Kirk Merrington Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Kirk Merrington Primary School made 25 offers from 91 applications (3.6 per offer), and 24 of 36 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Kirk Merrington Primary School?

Kirk Merrington Primary School has 180 pupils aged 4 to 11.

What is the capacity of Kirk Merrington Primary School?

Kirk Merrington Primary School had 175 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Kirk Merrington Primary School?

At Kirk Merrington Primary School, the average class had 25.5 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 21.3 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Kirk Merrington Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Kirk Merrington Primary School missed 4.4% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 7.6% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.