Bullion Lane Primary School
Bullion Lane, Chester le Street, DH2 2DP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Head Teacher
- Miss Sarah Barningham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- North Durham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 292
- URN
- 114209
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01913882482
About this school
Bullion Lane Primary School is a community primary school in Chester le Street. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 292 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. 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 | 36 | 26 | 33 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 86% | 92% | 94% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 89% | 92% | 94% |
| Expected standard in maths | 94% | 92% | 94% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 89% | 92% | 91% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 111.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.80 | - | - |
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 Bullion Lane 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 | 86% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 92% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 94% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 285 |
| 2023/24 | 303 |
| 2024/25 | 299 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bullion Lane Primary School compares
Bullion Lane Primary School ranked 3rd of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 99% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 94% | 6% | 68.4% | 292 | — |
| Newker Primary School | 69% | 5.4% | 30.7% | 340 | 0.1 miles |
| Cestria Primary School | 74% | 3% | 17.1% | 426 | 0.5 miles |
| St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street | 77% | 3.4% | 8.8% | 216 | 0.6 miles |
| Red Rose Primary School | 81% | 4.1% | 14.8% | 294 | 0.6 miles |
| Chester-Le-Street CofE (Controlled) Primary School | 66% | 6.6% | 30.6% | 260 | 0.6 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 68.44%
- English as an additional language
- 8.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.98%
- Persistent absence
- 18.35%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Newker Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
-
Cestria Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
-
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street0.6 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
-
Red Rose Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
-
Chester-Le-Street CofE (Controlled) Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
Other schools in Chester le Street
Bullion Lane Primary School ranks 1st of the 16 ranked primary schools in Chester le Street.
- Barley Mow Primary School Primary
- Cestria Primary School Primary
- Chester-Le-Street CofE (Controlled) Primary School Primary
- Lumley Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Lumley Junior School Primary
- Nettlesworth Primary School Primary
- Newker Primary School Primary
- Ouston Primary School Primary
- Pelton Community Primary School Primary
- Portobello Primary School Primary
- Ravensworth Terrace Primary School Primary
- Red Rose Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bullion Lane Primary School teach?
- Bullion Lane Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Chester le Street.
- Who is the head teacher of Bullion Lane Primary School?
- The head teacher of Bullion Lane Primary School is Miss Sarah Barningham, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bullion Lane Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bullion Lane 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 Bullion Lane Primary School?
- Bullion Lane Primary School has 292 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Bullion Lane Primary School full?
- Bullion Lane Primary School has capacity for 315 pupils and 292 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 Bullion Lane Primary School a faith school?
- No. Bullion Lane Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Bullion Lane Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Bullion Lane Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Bullion Lane Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 86% in 2022/23 and 94% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bullion Lane Primary School rank locally?
- Bullion Lane Primary School ranked 3rd of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 99% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bullion Lane Primary School's absence rate?
- Bullion Lane Primary School's overall absence rate is 6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bullion Lane Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bullion Lane 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.