St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle
Birch Road, Barnard Castle, DL12 8JR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lesley Ann Box
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 103
- URN
- 149058
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01833637029
About this school
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Barnard Castle. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 103 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. 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
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
This inspection took place when the school was registered as St Mary's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Barnard Castle (URN 114261).
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 12 | 16 | 16 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 92% | 75% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 33% | 19% | 31% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 94% | 94% |
| Expected standard in maths | 92% | 81% | 94% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 92% | 88% | 94% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 106.0 | 111.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +5.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.50 | - | - |
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 Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle 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 | 92% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 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 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 100 |
| 2023/24 | 99 |
| 2024/25 | 100 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle compares
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle ranked 20th 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 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 3.2% | 18.2% | 103 | — |
| Montalbo Nursery & Primary School | 85% | 4.3% | 14.2% | 240 | 0.4 miles |
| Green Lane Church of England Primary School | 55% | 6.7% | 29.6% | 188 | 0.5 miles |
| Cotherstone Primary School | 40% | 7.3% | 18.3% | 66 | 3.2 miles |
| Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School | — | 4.3% | 4.7% | 39 | 4.1 miles |
| Staindrop CofE (Controlled) Primary School | 84% | 4.1% | 15.5% | 179 | 5.6 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
-
Ungraded inspection report12 November 2024
- 27 November 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 18.18%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 3.21%
- Persistent absence
- 7.79%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Montalbo Nursery & Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
-
Green Lane Church of England Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
-
Cotherstone Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
-
Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School4.1 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
-
Staindrop CofE (Controlled) Primary School5.6 miles
Primary · Darlington
Other schools in Barnard Castle
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle ranks 2nd of the 5 ranked primary schools in Barnard Castle.
- Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School Primary
- Cotherstone Primary School Primary
- Green Lane Church of England Primary School Primary
- Middleton-In-Teesdale Academy Primary
- Montalbo Nursery & Primary School Primary
- Teesdale School and Sixth Form Secondary
- Barnard Castle School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle teach?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnard Castle.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle?
- The headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle is Mrs Lesley Ann Box, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle, 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 St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle has 103 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle full?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle has capacity for 105 pupils and 103 on roll (98%), 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 St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle a selective school?
- No. St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 92% 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle rank locally?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle ranked 20th 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 97% 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 Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle's absence rate?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle's overall absence rate is 3.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle'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.