St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School
Scholars Path, Newton Aycliffe, DL5 7HB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lisa Lakey
- Diocese
- Diocese of Durham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 236
- Pupils on roll
- 147
- URN
- 114267
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01325300236
About this school
St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Newton Aycliffe. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 147 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 June 2024, 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 | 30 | 34 | 24 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 32% | 25% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 3% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 50% | 42% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 47% | 33% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 53% | 54% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 99.0 | 98.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 100.0 | 98.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
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 Francis Horndale CofE 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 | 70% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 32% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 25% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 111 |
| 2023/24 | 111 |
| 2024/25 | 90 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School compares
St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School ranked 181st of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 25% | 7.3% | 75.6% | 147 | — |
| Byerley Park Primary School | 73% | 3.9% | 30% | 207 | 0.2 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School | 84% | 6% | 39% | 150 | 0.3 miles |
| Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School | 29% | 8.4% | 69.7% | 285 | 0.4 miles |
| Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery | 58% | 7.1% | 50.2% | 222 | 0.5 miles |
| Sugar Hill Primary School | 52% | 6.2% | 31.5% | 448 | 1.0 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)
- 75.56%
- English as an additional language
- 7.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.3%
- Persistent absence
- 27.37%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Byerley Park Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School0.4 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery0.5 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
Sugar Hill Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
Other schools in Newton Aycliffe
St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School ranks 9th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Newton Aycliffe.
- Aycliffe Village Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Byerley Park Primary School Primary
- Heighington Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Newton Aycliffe Primary
- Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School Primary
- Sugar Hill Primary School Primary
- Vane Road Primary School Primary
- Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Greenfield Academy Secondary
- UTC South Durham Secondary
- Woodham Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School teach?
- St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Newton Aycliffe.
- Who is the headteacher of St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School is Mrs Lisa Lakey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Francis Horndale CofE 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 St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School?
- St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School has 147 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School full?
- St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School has capacity for 236 pupils and 147 on roll (62%), 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 St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Durham.
- Does St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 25% 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 Francis Horndale CofE Primary School rank locally?
- St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School ranked 181st of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% 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 Francis Horndale CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 7.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Francis Horndale CofE 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.