St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook
Church Hill, Crook, DL15 9DN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Paula Strachan
- 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
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 117
- URN
- 149057
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01388762889
About this school
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Crook. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 117 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook, 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 24 June 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 21 | 20 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 50% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 15% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 85% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 55% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 65% | 62% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| 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 St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook 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 | 48% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 158 |
| 2023/24 | 157 |
| 2024/25 | 134 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook compares
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook ranked 68th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 6.3% | 39.7% | 117 | — |
| Crook Primary School | 52% | 5.5% | 42.2% | 342 | 0.4 miles |
| Hartside Primary Academy | 63% | 5.7% | 34.2% | 241 | 0.5 miles |
| Peases West Academy | 58% | 6.3% | 64% | 126 | 1.1 miles |
| Stanley (Crook) Primary School | 60% | 4.1% | 13.3% | 128 | 1.4 miles |
| Sunnybrow Primary School | 36% | 6.3% | 69.1% | 54 | 1.5 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)
- 39.67%
- English as an additional language
- 3%
- Overall absence
- 6.34%
- Persistent absence
- 16.81%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Crook Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Crook
-
Hartside Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Crook
-
Peases West Academy1.1 miles
Primary · Crook
-
Stanley (Crook) Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Crook
-
Sunnybrow Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Crook
Other schools in Crook
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook ranks 1st of the 9 ranked primary schools in Crook.
- Crook Primary School Primary
- Hartside Primary Academy Primary
- Howden-le-Wear Primary School Primary
- Hunwick Primary School Primary
- Peases West Academy Primary
- St Stephen's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Stanley (Crook) Primary School Primary
- Sunnybrow Primary School Primary
- Willington Primary School Primary
- Parkside Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook teach?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Crook.
- Who is the headteacher of St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook?
- The headteacher of St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook is Ms Paula Strachan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook, 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 Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook has 117 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook full?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook has capacity for 210 pupils and 117 on roll (56%), 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 St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook a faith school?
- Yes. St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook as having nursery classes.
- Is St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook part of an academy trust?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook 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 St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 48% in 2022/23 and 69% 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 Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook compare with other schools in County Durham?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook ranked 68th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% 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 Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook's absence rate?
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook's overall absence rate is 6.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Crook'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.