West Cornforth Primary School
High Street, West Cornforth, Ferryhill, DL17 9HP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Head Teacher
- Mrs Kathryn Costello
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 186
- Pupils on roll
- 251
- URN
- 114079
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01740654315
About this school
West Cornforth Primary School is a community primary school in Ferryhill. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 251 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- 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 | 22 | 31 | 24 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 50% | 58% | 83% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 17% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 77% | 83% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 68% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 61% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How West Cornforth 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 | 50% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 83% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 219 |
| 2023/24 | 255 |
| 2024/25 | 252 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How West Cornforth Primary School compares
West Cornforth Primary School ranked 18th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 91% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 83% | 6.2% | 50% | 251 | — |
| Coxhoe Primary School | 84% | 4.2% | 21.6% | 309 | 0.6 miles |
| Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy | 84% | 5% | 34.1% | 248 | 1.2 miles |
| Broom Cottages Primary & Nursery School | 32% | 8.7% | 50% | 246 | 1.6 miles |
| Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School | 52% | 6.6% | 73.5% | 181 | 2.0 miles |
| Ferryhill Station Primary School | 20% | 6.9% | 58.9% | 59 | 2.0 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)
- 50%
- English as an additional language
- 2.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.15%
- Persistent absence
- 14.53%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Coxhoe Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Ferryhill
-
Broom Cottages Primary & Nursery School1.6 miles
Primary · Ferryhill
-
Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School2.0 miles
Primary · Ferryhill
-
Ferryhill Station Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Ferryhill
Other schools in Ferryhill
West Cornforth Primary School ranks 2nd of the 7 ranked primary schools in Ferryhill.
- Broom Cottages Primary & Nursery School Primary
- Chilton Academy Primary
- Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy Primary
- Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Ferryhill Station Primary School Primary
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ferryhill School Secondary
- Aycliffe Secure Centre Other types
- The Woodlands Local authority maintained schools
Common questions
- What year groups does West Cornforth Primary School teach?
- West Cornforth Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Ferryhill.
- Who is the head teacher of West Cornforth Primary School?
- The head teacher of West Cornforth Primary School is Mrs Kathryn Costello, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was West Cornforth Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected West Cornforth 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 West Cornforth Primary School?
- West Cornforth Primary School has 251 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is West Cornforth Primary School full?
- West Cornforth Primary School has capacity for 186 pupils and 251 on roll (135%), so it is at or above 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 West Cornforth Primary School a faith school?
- No. West Cornforth Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does West Cornforth Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records West Cornforth Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have West Cornforth Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 50% in 2022/23 and 83% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does West Cornforth Primary School rank locally?
- West Cornforth Primary School ranked 18th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 91% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is West Cornforth Primary School's absence rate?
- West Cornforth Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are West Cornforth Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, West Cornforth 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 30 June 2026.