West Rainton Primary School
West Rainton, Houghton le Spring, DH4 6RN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alison McDonough
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- City of Durham
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 168
- Pupils on roll
- 148
- URN
- 114128
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01915843805
About this school
West Rainton Primary School is a community primary school in Houghton le Spring. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 148 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected West Rainton 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 8 February 2023, 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 | 27 | 17 | 17 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 76% | 76% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 12% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 82% | 94% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 82% | 76% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 76% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.80 | - | - |
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 Rainton 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 | 63% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 76% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 76% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 137 |
| 2023/24 | 142 |
| 2024/25 | 143 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How West Rainton Primary School compares
West Rainton Primary School ranked 35th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 76% | 5.2% | 53.9% | 148 | — |
| East Rainton Primary School | 72% | 4% | 28.3% | 101 | 1.4 miles |
| Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School | 72% | 4.1% | 23.5% | 206 | 1.6 miles |
| Pittington Primary School | 65% | 3.8% | 10.6% | 196 | 1.7 miles |
| Belmont CofE (Controlled) Primary School | 73% | 4.2% | 14.2% | 261 | 2.0 miles |
| St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont | 67% | 3% | 14.1% | 107 | 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 53.85%
- English as an additional language
- 2.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.17%
- Persistent absence
- 14.17%
Location
Nearby schools
-
East Rainton Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Pittington Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Belmont CofE (Controlled) Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Durham
-
St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont2.0 miles
Primary · Belmont
Other schools in Houghton le Spring
West Rainton Primary School ranks 3rd of the 17 ranked primary schools in Houghton le Spring.
- Barnwell Academy Primary
- Bernard Gilpin Primary School Primary
- Bournmoor Primary School Primary
- Burnside Academy Inspires Primary
- Dubmire Primary Primary
- Easington Lane Primary School Primary
- East Rainton Primary School Primary
- Eppleton Academy Primary School Primary
- Gillas Lane Primary Academy Primary
- Hetton Lyons Primary School Primary
- Hetton Primary School Primary
- New Penshaw Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does West Rainton Primary School teach?
- West Rainton Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Houghton le Spring.
- Who is the headteacher of West Rainton Primary School?
- The headteacher of West Rainton Primary School is Mrs Alison McDonough, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has West Rainton Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected West Rainton 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 West Rainton Primary School?
- West Rainton Primary School has 148 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is West Rainton Primary School full?
- West Rainton Primary School has capacity for 168 pupils and 148 on roll (88%), 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 West Rainton Primary School a faith school?
- No. West Rainton Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does West Rainton Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records West Rainton Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have West Rainton Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 63% in 2022/23 and 76% 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 Rainton Primary School compare with other schools in County Durham?
- West Rainton Primary School ranked 35th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% 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 Rainton Primary School's absence rate?
- West Rainton Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are West Rainton Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, West Rainton 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.