Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law
Smith Street, Tow Law, Bishop Auckland, DL13 4AU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Jenna Ellison
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 84
- Pupils on roll
- 83
- URN
- 148916
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01388731082
About this school
Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Bishop Auckland. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 83 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- 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 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 43% | 11% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 14% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 86% | 56% |
| Expected standard in maths | 88% | 43% | 22% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 88% | 71% | 56% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 107.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 100.0 | 98.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| 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 Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law 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 | 75% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 43% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 11% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 68 |
| 2023/24 | 71 |
| 2024/25 | 77 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law compares
Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law ranked 184th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 11% | 5.4% | 35.4% | 83 | — |
| Tow Law Millennium Primary School | 54% | 7.2% | 50.6% | 77 | 0.6 miles |
| Peases West Academy | 58% | 6.3% | 64% | 126 | 2.7 miles |
| Wolsingham Primary School | 76% | 4.1% | 21.1% | 163 | 2.9 miles |
| Stanley (Crook) Primary School | 60% | 4.1% | 13.3% | 128 | 3.0 miles |
| Hartside Primary Academy | 63% | 5.7% | 34.2% | 241 | 3.2 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 35.38%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.37%
- Persistent absence
- 16.67%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Tow Law Millennium Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bishop Auckland
-
Peases West Academy2.7 miles
Primary · Crook
-
Wolsingham Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Bishop Auckland
-
Stanley (Crook) Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Crook
-
Hartside Primary Academy3.2 miles
Primary · Crook
Other schools in Bishop Auckland
Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law ranks 22nd of the 22 ranked primary schools in Bishop Auckland.
- Butterknowle Primary School Primary
- Cockfield Primary School Primary
- Cockton Hill Infant School Primary
- Cockton Hill Junior School Primary
- Copeland Road Primary School Primary
- Escomb Primary School Primary
- Etherley Lane Primary School Primary
- Evenwood Church of England Primary School Primary
- Frosterley Primary School Primary
- Hamsterley Primary School Primary
- Oakley Cross Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Prince Bishops Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law teach?
- Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bishop Auckland.
- Who is the headteacher of Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law?
- The headteacher of Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law is Miss Jenna Ellison, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law, 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 Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law?
- Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law has 83 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law full?
- Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law has capacity for 84 pupils and 83 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law a faith school?
- Yes. Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law?
- Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law is part of BISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2022/23 and 11% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law rank locally?
- Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law ranked 184th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law's absence rate?
- Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law's overall absence rate is 5.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law'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.