Hamsterley Primary School
Hamsterley Primary School, Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland, DL13 3QF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Sarah Hodgkinson and Richard Sains (Co Executive Headteachers)
- Federation
- Durham Dales Partnership
- Constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 49
- Pupils on roll
- 36
- URN
- 114053
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01388488279
About this school
Hamsterley Primary School is a community primary school in Bishop Auckland. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 36 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 33% | 14% | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | - |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 71% | - |
| Expected standard in maths | 50% | 29% | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 83% | 57% | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 104.0 | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 96.0 | - |
Trends over time
How Hamsterley Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | County Durham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 33% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 14% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | — | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 36 |
| 2023/24 | 34 |
| 2024/25 | 31 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Hamsterley Primary School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.5% | 16.1% | 36 | — |
| Witton-le-Wear Primary School | 56% | 3.9% | 8.1% | 114 | 2.0 miles |
| Howden-le-Wear Primary School | 41% | 5.4% | 24.6% | 179 | 3.2 miles |
| Butterknowle Primary School | 29% | 4.4% | 26% | 54 | 3.3 miles |
| Toft Hill Primary School | 74% | 4% | 16.2% | 203 | 3.5 miles |
| St Chad's Catholic Primary School, Witton Park | 67% | 6.4% | 31.8% | 57 | 3.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 16.13%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.53%
- Persistent absence
- 14.81%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Witton-le-Wear Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Bishop Auckland
-
Howden-le-Wear Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Crook
-
Butterknowle Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Bishop Auckland
-
Toft Hill Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Bishop Auckland
-
St Chad's Catholic Primary School, Witton Park3.6 miles
Primary · Bishop Auckland
Other schools in Bishop Auckland
- Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law Primary
- Butterknowle Primary School Primary
- Cockfield Primary School Primary
- Cockton Hill Infant School Primary
- Cockton Hill Junior School Primary
- Copeland Road Primary School Primary
- Escomb Primary School Primary
- Etherley Lane Primary School Primary
- Evenwood Church of England Primary School Primary
- Frosterley Primary School Primary
- Oakley Cross Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Prince Bishops Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Hamsterley Primary School teach?
- Hamsterley Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Bishop Auckland.
- Who is the headteacher of Hamsterley Primary School?
- The headteacher of Hamsterley Primary School is Sarah Hodgkinson and Richard Sains (Co Executive Headteachers), as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Hamsterley Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Hamsterley Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Hamsterley Primary School?
- Hamsterley Primary School has 36 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Hamsterley Primary School full?
- Hamsterley Primary School has capacity for 49 pupils and 36 on roll (73%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Hamsterley Primary School a faith school?
- No. Hamsterley Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Hamsterley Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Hamsterley Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Hamsterley Primary School?
- Hamsterley Primary School is part of the Durham Dales Partnership federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Hamsterley Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 33% in 2022/23 and 14% in 2023/24. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Hamsterley Primary School's absence rate?
- Hamsterley Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Hamsterley Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Hamsterley Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.