St Michael's Church of England Primary School
Front Street, Bishop Middleham, Ferryhill, DL17 9AL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ONE EXCELLENCE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Beth Dawson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Durham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 120
- Pupils on roll
- 125
- URN
- 148854
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01740651482
About this school
St Michael's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Ferryhill. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 125 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Michael's 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 24 January 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. 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 | 15 | 16 | 21 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 87% | 75% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 13% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 75% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% | 94% | 81% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 80% | 88% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.10 | - | - |
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 St Michael's 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 | County Durham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 87% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 124 |
| 2023/24 | 127 |
| 2024/25 | 117 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Michael's Church of England Primary School compares
St Michael's Church of England Primary School ranked 74th of 185 primary schools in County Durham 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 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 4.3% | 12.2% | 125 | — |
| Ferryhill Station Primary School | 20% | 6.9% | 58.9% | 59 | 1.7 miles |
| Sedgefield Hardwick Primary Academy | 87% | 3.5% | 14% | 256 | 2.0 miles |
| West Cornforth Primary School | 83% | 6.2% | 50% | 251 | 2.2 miles |
| Fishburn Primary School | 45% | 6.7% | 53.8% | 111 | 2.2 miles |
| Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy | 84% | 5% | 34.1% | 248 | 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)
- 12.15%
- English as an additional language
- 0.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.32%
- Persistent absence
- 9.68%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ferryhill Station Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Ferryhill
-
Sedgefield Hardwick Primary Academy2.0 miles
Primary · Stockton-on-Tees
-
West Cornforth Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Ferryhill
-
Fishburn Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Stockton-on-Tees
-
Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy2.3 miles
Primary · Ferryhill
Other schools in Ferryhill
St Michael's Church of England Primary School ranks 3rd of the 7 ranked primary schools in Ferryhill.
- Broom Cottages Primary & Nursery School Primary
- Chilton Academy Primary
- Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy Primary
- Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Ferryhill Station Primary School Primary
- West Cornforth Primary School Primary
- Ferryhill School Secondary
- Aycliffe Secure Centre Other types
- The Woodlands Local authority maintained schools
Common questions
- What ages does St Michael's Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Ferryhill.
- Who is the headteacher of St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Michael's Church of England Primary School is Mrs Beth Dawson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Michael's Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Michael's 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 Michael's Church of England Primary School?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School has 125 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Michael's Church of England Primary School full?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School has capacity for 120 pupils and 125 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 Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Michael's Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Durham.
- Does St Michael's Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Michael's Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is St Michael's Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School is part of ONE EXCELLENCE MULTI ACADEMY 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 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 87% 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in County Durham?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School ranked 74th of 185 primary schools in County Durham 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 76% 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 Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Michael's Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Michael's 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 3 July 2026.