St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School
Newton Lane, Cockerton, Darlington, DL3 9EX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- MELROSE LEARNING TRUST
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Wendy Aitken
- Diocese
- Diocese of Durham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Durham
- Constituency
- Darlington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 216
- URN
- 142962
- Local authority
- Darlington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01325380758
About this school
St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Darlington. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 216 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Cockerton 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
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 31 | 31 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 35% | 55% | 37% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 3% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 61% | 65% | 60% |
| Expected standard in maths | 55% | 77% | 67% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 65% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | 0.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.00 | - | - |
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 Mary's Cockerton 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 | 35% | 55.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 56% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 37% | 59.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 191 |
| 2023/24 | 196 |
| 2024/25 | 204 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School compares
St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School ranked 26th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 37% | 4.9% | 33.8% | 216 | — |
| Holy Family Catholic Primary School | 77% | 4.1% | 15.6% | 234 | 0.2 miles |
| Mowden Infant School | — | 3.2% | 8% | 169 | 0.4 miles |
| Mowden Junior School | 77% | 3.4% | 14.5% | 295 | 0.4 miles |
| Mount Pleasant Primary School | 76% | 5.7% | 56.9% | 259 | 0.5 miles |
| Abbey Junior School | 77% | 3.8% | 8.2% | 362 | 0.8 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)
- 33.82%
- English as an additional language
- 12.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.9%
- Persistent absence
- 10.73%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Holy Family Catholic Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Mowden Infant School0.4 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Mowden Junior School0.4 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Mount Pleasant Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Abbey Junior School0.8 miles
Primary · Darlington
Other schools in Darlington
St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School ranks 27th 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 ages does St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Darlington.
- Who is the executive headteacher of St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School?
- The executive headteacher of St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School is Mrs Wendy Aitken, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Cockerton 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 St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School?
- St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School has 216 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School full?
- St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 216 on roll (103%), 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 St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Durham.
- Does St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School is part of MELROSE LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Mary's Cockerton 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 35% in 2022/23 and 37% 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 Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Darlington?
- St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School ranked 26th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% 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 Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Cockerton 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 2 July 2026.