Witton Gilbert Primary School
Sacriston Lane, Witton Gilbert, Durham, DH7 6TF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Paula Nelson
- Constituency
- City of Durham
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 203
- Pupils on roll
- 188
- URN
- 114122
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01913710424
About this school
Witton Gilbert Primary School is a community primary school in Durham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 188 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Witton Gilbert Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 September 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 33 | 26 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 45% | 50% | 53% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 4% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 58% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 61% | 69% | 63% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 64% | 58% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 102.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 101.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | 0.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.60 | - | - |
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 Witton Gilbert 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 | 45% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 53% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 200 |
| 2023/24 | 194 |
| 2024/25 | 197 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Witton Gilbert Primary School compares
Witton Gilbert Primary School ranked 136th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53% | 4% | 26.9% | 188 | — |
| Sacriston Academy | 88% | 4.7% | 38.4% | 190 | 0.8 miles |
| St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Sacriston | 78% | 3.5% | 18.7% | 97 | 1.1 miles |
| Bearpark Primary School | 31% | 5.9% | 43.4% | 105 | 1.5 miles |
| Langley Park Primary School | 50% | 7.2% | 47.5% | 183 | 1.5 miles |
| Nettlesworth Primary School | 80% | 4.4% | 31.1% | 105 | 1.9 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 26.9%
- English as an additional language
- 3.6%
- Overall absence
- 3.96%
- Persistent absence
- 7.6%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sacriston Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Durham
-
St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Sacriston1.1 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Bearpark Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Langley Park Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Nettlesworth Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
Other schools in Durham
Witton Gilbert Primary School ranks 34th of the 42 ranked primary schools in Durham.
- All Saints' Catholic Primary School, Lanchester Primary
- Bearpark Primary School Primary
- Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School Primary
- Belmont CofE (Controlled) Primary School Primary
- Blue Coat CofE (Aided) Junior School Primary
- Brandon Primary Academy Primary
- Burnhope Primary School Primary
- Cassop Primary School Primary
- Coxhoe Primary School Primary
- Durham Gilesgate Primary School Primary
- Durham Newton Hall Infants' School Primary
- Edmondsley Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Witton Gilbert Primary School teach?
- Witton Gilbert Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Durham.
- Who is the headteacher of Witton Gilbert Primary School?
- The headteacher of Witton Gilbert Primary School is Mrs Paula Nelson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Witton Gilbert Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Witton Gilbert 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 many pupils are at Witton Gilbert Primary School?
- Witton Gilbert Primary School has 188 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Witton Gilbert Primary School full?
- Witton Gilbert Primary School has capacity for 203 pupils and 188 on roll (93%), 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 Witton Gilbert Primary School a faith school?
- No. Witton Gilbert Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Witton Gilbert Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Witton Gilbert Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Witton Gilbert Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 45% in 2022/23 and 53% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Witton Gilbert Primary School compare with other schools in County Durham?
- Witton Gilbert Primary School ranked 136th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Witton Gilbert Primary School's absence rate?
- Witton Gilbert Primary School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Witton Gilbert Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Witton Gilbert 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.