Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School
Stephenson Way, Newton Aycliffe, DL5 7DD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- TUDHOE LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kim Bushby
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Tudhoe Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 385
- Pupils on roll
- 285
- URN
- 138556
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01325300324
About this school
Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School is a primary academy in Newton Aycliffe. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 285 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
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 | 51 | 51 | 42 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 37% | 29% | 29% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 63% | 43% | 48% |
| Expected standard in maths | 43% | 41% | 48% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 53% | 52% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 99.0 | 98.0 | 99.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.40 | - | - |
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 Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery 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 | 37% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 29% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 29% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 320 |
| 2023/24 | 343 |
| 2024/25 | 316 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School compares
Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School ranked 179th 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 15% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 29% | 8.4% | 69.7% | 285 | — |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School | 84% | 6% | 39% | 150 | 0.1 miles |
| Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery | 58% | 7.1% | 50.2% | 222 | 0.2 miles |
| St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School | 25% | 7.3% | 75.6% | 147 | 0.4 miles |
| Sugar Hill Primary School | 52% | 6.2% | 31.5% | 448 | 0.6 miles |
| Byerley Park Primary School | 73% | 3.9% | 30% | 207 | 0.6 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)
- 69.73%
- English as an additional language
- 9.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.39%
- Persistent absence
- 30.48%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery0.2 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
St Francis Horndale CofE Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
Sugar Hill Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
-
Byerley Park Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Newton Aycliffe
Other schools in Newton Aycliffe
Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School ranks 8th 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 Francis Horndale CofE Primary School Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Newton Aycliffe 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 Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School teach?
- Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Newton Aycliffe.
- Who is the headteacher of Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School?
- The headteacher of Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School is Mrs Kim Bushby, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery 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 Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School?
- Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School has 285 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School full?
- Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School has capacity for 385 pupils and 285 on roll (74%), 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 Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School a faith school?
- No. Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School has no designated religious character.
- Does Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School as having nursery classes.
- Is Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School part of an academy trust?
- Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School is part of TUDHOE LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 37% in 2022/23 and 29% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School compare with other schools in County Durham?
- Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School ranked 179th 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 15% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School's absence rate?
- Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School's overall absence rate is 8.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery 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.