School profile

St Bede's Catholic Primary School

Primary · Academy converter · Darlington, DL1 3ES

Good

Map showing St Bede's Catholic Primary School

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

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#7,663 of 15,057

Similar to most schools in England

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

St Bede's Catholic Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 3 Dec 2024

Area360 rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages3 to 11
Pupils322
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Head teacherLaura Cuff
TrustBISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
Local authorityDarlington
Opened01 Aug 2012
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 138523.

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 schoolDarlingtonEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths64%, similar to England, similar to Darlington62%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.5%, worse than England, similar to Darlington7%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, similar to Darlington105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, better than Darlington104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, similar to Darlington105105
Expected standard in reading67%, worse than England, worse than Darlington72%76%
Expected standard in writing86%, better than England, better than Darlington73%73%
Expected standard in maths81%, better than England, better than Darlington74%75%
Pupils taking tests42--

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

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils322
Girls170
Boys152
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.11.5%
First language not English8.7%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.315
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.291
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.7.6%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.34
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.5
Average class size26.4

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
80.4%
African
4.3%
White and Asian
4%
Other White
3.7%
Other Asian
3.1%
Other mixed
1.6%
White and Black African
0.6%
Pakistani
0.6%
Other ethnic group
0.6%
White and Black Caribbean
0.3%

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 teacher22.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.13.8
Teachers (FTE)14
Teaching assistants (FTE)8.83
Support staff (FTE)17.21
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2513.2
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2512.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
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.45
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.92
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.49
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.43
Applications from another local authority (Reception)1

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 schoolDarlingtonEngland
Overall absence4.6%, better than England, better than Darlington5.6%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.7.1%, better than England, better than Darlington15.2%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.8%, similar to England, similar to Darlington1%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 rate4.1%
Pupils with one or more suspensions1.6%
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 St Bede's Catholic Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.5 miPrimaryHarrowgate Hill Primary SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
0.6 miPrimarySpringfield AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.6 miSecondaryHaughton AcademyAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.6 miPrimaryNorthwood Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.7 miSecondaryLongfield AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.7 miPrimaryWhinfield Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimaryGurney Pease AcademyAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.1 miPrimaryRed Hall Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.3 miPrimaryCorporation Road Community Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.4 miSecondarySt Aidan's Church of England AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good

Frequently asked questions about St Bede's Catholic Primary School

What is St Bede's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

St Bede's Catholic Primary School is rated Good, last inspected on 3 Dec 2024. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does St Bede's Catholic Primary School rank in England?

St Bede's Catholic Primary School ranks 7,663 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (similar to most schools).

What are St Bede's Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 64% of pupils at St Bede's Catholic Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into St Bede's Catholic Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, St Bede's Catholic Primary School made 45 offers from 92 applications (2 per offer), and 43 of 49 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend St Bede's Catholic Primary School?

St Bede's Catholic Primary School has 322 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of St Bede's Catholic Primary School?

St Bede's Catholic Primary School had 315 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at St Bede's Catholic Primary School?

At St Bede's Catholic Primary School, the average class had 26.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 22.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at St Bede's Catholic Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at St Bede's Catholic Primary School missed 4.6% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 7.1% 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.