Heighington Church of England Primary School
Hopelands, Heighington, Newton Aycliffe, DL5 6PH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Carly Stonier
- Diocese
- Diocese of Durham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Darlington
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 266
- Pupils on roll
- 248
- URN
- 137022
- Local authority
- Darlington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01325300326
About this school
Heighington Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Newton Aycliffe. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 248 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Heighington 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
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 40 | 37 | 36 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 68% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 20% | 11% | 17% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 81% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 78% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 93% | 78% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 109.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.10 | - | - |
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 Heighington 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 | Darlington average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70% | 55.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 68% | 56% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 59.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 243 |
| 2023/24 | 229 |
| 2024/25 | 256 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Heighington Church of England Primary School compares
Heighington Church of England Primary School ranked 13th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 4% | 11.7% | 248 | — |
| St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School | 25% | 7.3% | 75.6% | 147 | 2.0 miles |
| Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School | 29% | 8.4% | 69.7% | 285 | 2.1 miles |
| Byerley Park Primary School | 73% | 3.9% | 30% | 207 | 2.1 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School | 84% | 6% | 39% | 150 | 2.2 miles |
| Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery | 58% | 7.1% | 50.2% | 222 | 2.3 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
-
Ungraded inspection report19 February 2025
- 10 December 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.66%
- English as an additional language
- 0.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.04%
- Persistent absence
- 9.14%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School2.1 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
Byerley Park Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery2.3 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
Other schools in Newton Aycliffe
Heighington Church of England Primary School ranks 4th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Newton Aycliffe.
- Aycliffe Village Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Byerley Park Primary School Primary
- St Francis Horndale CofE 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 ages does Heighington Church of England Primary School teach?
- Heighington Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Newton Aycliffe.
- Who is the headteacher of Heighington Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Heighington Church of England Primary School is Mrs Carly Stonier, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Heighington Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Heighington 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 Heighington Church of England Primary School?
- Heighington Church of England Primary School has 248 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Heighington Church of England Primary School full?
- Heighington Church of England Primary School has capacity for 266 pupils and 248 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 Heighington Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Heighington Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Durham.
- Does Heighington Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Heighington Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Heighington Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Heighington Church of England Primary School is part of DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Heighington 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 70% in 2022/23 and 69% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Heighington Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Darlington?
- Heighington Church of England Primary School ranked 13th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Heighington Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Heighington Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Heighington Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Heighington 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 1 July 2026.