St Stephen's Church of England Primary School
Hall Lane, Willington, Crook, DL15 0QH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alison Richardson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Durham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- City of Durham
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 203
- Pupils on roll
- 213
- URN
- 114216
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01388746426
About this school
St Stephen's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Crook. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 213 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Stephen's Church of England 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. 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 | 24 | 30 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 53% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 7% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 73% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 63% | 77% | 84% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 83% | 77% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.60 | - | - |
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 St Stephen's Church of England 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 | 58% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 53% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 214 |
| 2023/24 | 219 |
| 2024/25 | 221 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Stephen's Church of England Primary School compares
St Stephen's Church of England Primary School ranked 112th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 5.8% | 34.7% | 213 | — |
| Willington Primary School | 56% | 7% | 64.4% | 156 | 0.3 miles |
| Our Lady and St Thomas Catholic Primary School, Willington | 50% | 4.1% | 25.7% | 122 | 0.5 miles |
| Sunnybrow Primary School | 36% | 6.3% | 69.1% | 54 | 0.8 miles |
| Byers Green Primary School | 63% | 4.8% | 41.7% | 75 | 1.2 miles |
| Hunwick Primary School | — | — | — | 114 | 1.5 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
- 1 February 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report28 September 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 34.69%
- English as an additional language
- 4.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.75%
- Persistent absence
- 13.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Willington Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Crook
-
Our Lady and St Thomas Catholic Primary School, Willington0.5 miles
Primary · Crook,
-
Sunnybrow Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Crook
-
Byers Green Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Spennymoor
-
Hunwick Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Crook
Other schools in Crook
St Stephen's Church of England Primary School ranks 4th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Crook.
- Crook Primary School Primary
- Hartside Primary Academy Primary
- Howden-le-Wear Primary School Primary
- Hunwick Primary School Primary
- Peases West Academy Primary
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook Primary
- Stanley (Crook) Primary School Primary
- Sunnybrow Primary School Primary
- Willington Primary School Primary
- Parkside Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Stephen's Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Stephen's Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Crook.
- Who is the headteacher of St Stephen's Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Stephen's Church of England Primary School is Mrs Alison Richardson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Stephen's Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Stephen's Church of England 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 St Stephen's Church of England Primary School?
- St Stephen's Church of England Primary School has 213 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Stephen's Church of England Primary School full?
- St Stephen's Church of England Primary School has capacity for 203 pupils and 213 on roll (105%), 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 St Stephen's Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Stephen's Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Durham.
- Does St Stephen's Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Stephen's Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Stephen's Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Stephen's Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in County Durham?
- St Stephen's Church of England Primary School ranked 112th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Stephen's Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Stephen's Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Stephen's Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Stephen's Church of England 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.