St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village
Esh Village, Durham, DH7 9QY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Christina Parker
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- City of Durham
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 196
- Pupils on roll
- 203
- URN
- 148262
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01913731205
About this school
St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Durham. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 203 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village, 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 | 28 | 28 | 21 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 61% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 18% | 7% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 89% | 79% | 95% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 82% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 71% | 95% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 105.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.60 | - | - |
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 St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village 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 | 71% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 61% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 159 |
| 2023/24 | 152 |
| 2024/25 | 194 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village compares
St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village ranked 22nd of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 4.5% | 15.6% | 203 | — |
| Esh CofE (Aided) Primary School | 60% | 3% | 11.4% | 98 | 0.1 miles |
| Langley Park Primary School | 50% | 7.2% | 47.5% | 183 | 1.0 miles |
| Esh Winning Academy | 57% | 7.1% | 45% | 287 | 1.7 miles |
| Silver Tree Primary School and Nursery | 52% | 6.2% | 46.1% | 201 | 2.3 miles |
| Our Lady & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Ushaw Moor | 60% | 8.6% | 32.4% | 98 | 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 15.56%
- English as an additional language
- 1.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.45%
- Persistent absence
- 6.49%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Esh CofE (Aided) Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Langley Park Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Esh Winning Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Silver Tree Primary School and Nursery2.3 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Our Lady & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Ushaw Moor2.3 miles
Primary · Durham
Other schools in Durham
St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village ranks 6th of the 42 ranked primary schools in Durham.
- All Saints' Catholic Primary School, Lanchester Primary
- Bearpark Primary School Primary
- Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School Primary
- Belmont CofE (Controlled) Primary School Primary
- Blue Coat CofE (Aided) Junior School Primary
- Brandon Primary Academy Primary
- Burnhope Primary School Primary
- Cassop Primary School Primary
- Coxhoe Primary School Primary
- Durham Gilesgate Primary School Primary
- Durham Newton Hall Infants' School Primary
- Edmondsley Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village teach?
- St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Durham.
- Who is the headteacher of St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village?
- The headteacher of St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village is Mrs Christina Parker, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village, 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 Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village?
- St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village has 203 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village full?
- St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village has capacity for 196 pupils and 203 on roll (104%), 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 Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village a faith school?
- Yes. St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village as having nursery classes.
- Is St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village part of an academy trust?
- St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village is part of BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 81% 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 Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village compare with other schools in County Durham?
- St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village ranked 22nd of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% 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 Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village's absence rate?
- St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village'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 10 July 2026.