West Park Academy
Alderman Leach Drive, Darlington, DL2 2GF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LINGFIELD EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sam Hirst
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Lingfield Education Trust
- Constituency
- Darlington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 464
- URN
- 137042
- Local authority
- Darlington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01325380792
About this school
West Park Academy is a primary academy in Darlington. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 464 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 20 March 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 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 78% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 12% | 18% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 92% | 70% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 92% | 85% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 85% | 75% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 108.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.60 | - | - |
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 West Park Academy 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 | 68% | 55.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 78% | 56% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 59.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 460 |
| 2023/24 | 463 |
| 2024/25 | 453 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How West Park Academy compares
West Park Academy ranked 16th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% 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 | 67% | 4.1% | 15.9% | 464 | — |
| Mount Pleasant Primary School | 76% | 5.7% | 56.9% | 259 | 0.5 miles |
| Holy Family Catholic Primary School | 77% | 4.1% | 15.6% | 234 | 0.8 miles |
| St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School | 37% | 4.9% | 33.8% | 216 | 0.8 miles |
| Mowden Junior School | 77% | 3.4% | 14.5% | 295 | 1.2 miles |
| Mowden Infant School | — | 3.2% | 8% | 169 | 1.2 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)
- 15.93%
- English as an additional language
- 2.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.07%
- Persistent absence
- 4.97%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Mount Pleasant Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Holy Family Catholic Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Mowden Junior School1.2 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Mowden Infant School1.2 miles
Primary · Darlington
Other schools in Darlington
West Park Academy ranks 17th of the 29 ranked primary schools in Darlington.
- Abbey Infants' School Primary
- Abbey Junior School Primary
- Corporation Road Community Primary School Primary
- Croft Church of England Primary School Primary
- Firthmoor Primary School Primary
- Gainford Church of England Primary School and Preschool Primary
- Gurney Pease Academy Primary
- Harrowgate Hill Primary School Primary
- Heathfield Primary School Primary
- High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Hurworth Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does West Park Academy teach?
- West Park Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Darlington.
- Who is the headteacher of West Park Academy?
- The headteacher of West Park Academy is Mrs Sam Hirst, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was West Park Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected West Park Academy, 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 West Park Academy?
- West Park Academy has 464 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is West Park Academy full?
- West Park Academy has capacity for 420 pupils and 464 on roll (110%), 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 West Park Academy a faith school?
- No. West Park Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does West Park Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records West Park Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs West Park Academy?
- West Park Academy is part of LINGFIELD EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have West Park Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does West Park Academy rank locally?
- West Park Academy ranked 16th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% 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 West Park Academy's absence rate?
- West Park Academy's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are West Park Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, West Park Academy'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.