Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School
Bowes, Barnard Castle, DL12 9LG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Julie Gibson
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Federation
- Bowes Cotherstone Federation
- Constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 70
- Pupils on roll
- 39
- URN
- 114237
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01833628291
About this school
Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Barnard Castle. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 39 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 no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 13 | 5 | 4 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 38% | - | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | - | - |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | - | - |
| Expected standard in maths | 38% | - | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 46% | - | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | 97.0 | - | - |
| Reading progress | -4.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.60 | - | - |
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 Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 66 |
| 2023/24 | 48 |
| 2024/25 | 43 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.3% | 4.7% | 39 | — |
| Cotherstone Primary School | 40% | 7.3% | 18.3% | 66 | 3.9 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle | 81% | 3.2% | 18.2% | 103 | 4.1 miles |
| Montalbo Nursery & Primary School | 85% | 4.3% | 14.2% | 240 | 4.3 miles |
| Green Lane Church of England Primary School | 55% | 6.7% | 29.6% | 188 | 4.6 miles |
| Middleton-In-Teesdale Academy | 58% | 4.6% | 23.2% | 73 | 7.7 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
-
Graded inspection report25 March 2026
- 20 September 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 4.65%
- English as an additional language
- 2.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.34%
- Persistent absence
- 10%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cotherstone Primary School3.9 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle4.1 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
-
Montalbo Nursery & Primary School4.3 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
-
Green Lane Church of England Primary School4.6 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
-
Middleton-In-Teesdale Academy7.7 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
Other schools in Barnard Castle
- Cotherstone Primary School Primary
- Green Lane Church of England Primary School Primary
- Middleton-In-Teesdale Academy Primary
- Montalbo Nursery & Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle Primary
- Teesdale School and Sixth Form Secondary
- Barnard Castle School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School teach?
- Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnard Castle.
- Who is the headteacher of Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School?
- The headteacher of Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School is Mrs Julie Gibson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) 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 Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School?
- Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School has 39 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School full?
- Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School has capacity for 70 pupils and 39 on roll (56%), 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 Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School a faith school?
- Yes. Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Is Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School a selective school?
- No. Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School?
- Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School is part of the Bowes Cotherstone Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School's absence rate?
- Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) 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.