School profile

Skerne Park Academy

Primary · Academy sponsor led · Darlington, DL1 5AJ

Requires improvement

Map showing Skerne Park Academy

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

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#14,321 of 15,057

Worse than 95% of schools in England

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

Skerne Park Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 18 Jun 2024

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

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages2 to 11
Pupils248
GenderMixed
Head teacherMs Clair Gooding
TrustADVANCE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
Local authorityDarlington
Opened01 Feb 2013
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 139195.

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 maths35%, worse than England, worse than 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.98, worse than England, worse than Darlington105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.99, worse than England, worse than Darlington104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.98, worse than England, worse than Darlington105105
Expected standard in reading45%, worse than England, worse than Darlington72%76%
Expected standard in writing55%, worse than England, worse than Darlington73%73%
Expected standard in maths53%, worse than England, worse than Darlington74%75%
Pupils taking tests40--

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

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils248
Girls127
Boys121
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.55.6%
First language not English14.9%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.241
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.42.6%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.62
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.7
Average class size25.9

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
76.6%
Other White
8.5%
White and Black Caribbean
2%
Other ethnic group
2%
African
1.6%
Indian
1.2%
Other Asian
1.2%
Traveller of Irish heritage
0.4%
White and Asian
0.4%
Pakistani
0.4%

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 teacher20.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.15.4
Teachers (FTE)11.9
Teaching assistants (FTE)4
Support staff (FTE)11.83
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2515.9
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2510.4
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/254.5

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.17
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.30
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.15
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.15
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 schoolDarlingtonEngland
Overall absence7.8%, worse than England, worse than Darlington5.6%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.23.3%, worse than England, worse than Darlington15.2%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.4%, 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 rate24.1%
Pupils with one or more suspensions9%
Permanent exclusion rate1.5%
Permanent exclusions4

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 Skerne Park Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.6 miAll-throughPolam Hall SchoolFree schools
Good
0.6 miPrimaryThe Rydal AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.8 miPrimarySt Augustine's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimarySt John's Church of England AcademyAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.9 miNurseryBorough Road Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Good
1.1 mi16 plusQueen Elizabeth Sixth Form CollegeAcademy 16-19 converter
Unrated
1.1 miPrimarySt Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miPrimaryAbbey Infants' SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miPrimaryFirthmoor Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miSecondarySt Aidan's Church of England AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good

Frequently asked questions about Skerne Park Academy

What is Skerne Park Academy's Ofsted rating?

Skerne Park Academy is rated Requires improvement by Ofsted, last inspected on 18 Jun 2024.

How does Skerne Park Academy rank in England?

Skerne Park Academy ranks 14,321 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 95% of schools).

What are Skerne Park Academy's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 35% of pupils at Skerne Park Academy met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Skerne Park Academy?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Skerne Park Academy made 17 offers from 30 applications (1.8 per offer), and 15 of 15 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Skerne Park Academy?

Skerne Park Academy has 248 pupils aged 2 to 11.

What is the capacity of Skerne Park Academy?

Skerne Park Academy had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Skerne Park Academy?

At Skerne Park Academy, the average class had 25.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 20.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Skerne Park Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at Skerne Park Academy missed 7.8% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 23.3% 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.