School profile

Finchale Primary School

Primary · Community school · Durham, DH1 5XT

Good

Map showing Finchale Primary School

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

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#2,320 of 15,057

Better than 84% of schools in England

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

Finchale Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 13 Jan 2015

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages4 to 11
Pupils209
GenderMixed
Head teacherMiss Natalie Ward
Local authorityCounty Durham
Opened01 Jan 1996
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 130312.

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 maths78%, 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.19%, better than England, better than County Durham8%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.108, better than 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 reading91%, better than England, better than County Durham74%76%
Expected standard in writing81%, better than England, better than County Durham73%73%
Expected standard in maths84%, better than England, better than County Durham73%75%
Pupils taking tests32--

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

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils209
Girls102
Boys107
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.4.8%
First language not English12.4%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0.5%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.16
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.5
Average class size29.9

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
85.6%
Other ethnic group
3.8%
Other White
2.9%
White and Asian
1.4%
Indian
1.4%
White and Black African
1%
African
1%
Other mixed
0.5%
Pakistani
0.5%
Bangladeshi
0.5%

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 teacher26.1
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.15.7
Teachers (FTE)8
Teaching assistants (FTE)5.29
Support staff (FTE)8.21
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/258.6
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/257.1
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250.5
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251

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.30
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.72
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.29
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.29
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 absence3.9%, better than England, better than County Durham5.3%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.5.5%, better than England, better than County Durham14%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.6%, worse than England, worse 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 Finchale Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.6 miPrimaryBlue Coat CofE (Aided) Junior SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryDurham Newton Hall Infants' SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miPrimarySt Godric's Catholic Primary School, DurhamAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miSecondaryFramwellgate School DurhamAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.1 miPrimaryFramwellgate Moor Primary SchoolCommunity school
Outstanding
1.5 miPrimaryDurham Gilesgate Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.6 mi16 plusDurham Sixth Form CentreAcademy 16-19 converter
Unrated
1.6 miSecondarySt Leonard's Catholic School, DurhamAcademy converter
Outstanding
1.7 miPrimarySt Hild's College Church of England Primary School, DurhamAcademy converter
Good
1.7 miPrimarySt Joseph's Catholic Primary School, GilesgateAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Finchale Primary School

What is Finchale Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Finchale Primary School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 13 Jan 2015.

How does Finchale Primary School rank in England?

Finchale Primary School ranks 2,320 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 84% of schools).

What are Finchale Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 78% of pupils at Finchale Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Finchale Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Finchale Primary School made 30 offers from 72 applications (2.4 per offer), and 29 of 29 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Finchale Primary School?

Finchale Primary School has 209 pupils aged 4 to 11.

What is the capacity of Finchale Primary School?

Finchale Primary School had 210 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Finchale Primary School?

At Finchale Primary School, the average class had 29.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 26.1 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Finchale Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Finchale Primary School missed 3.9% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 5.5% 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.