Witton-le-Wear Primary School
Witton-le-Wear Primary School, 31 St James Gardens, Bishop Auckland, DL14 0BG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ADVANCE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mr Shawn Laws
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Advance Learning Partnership
- Constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 100
- Pupils on roll
- 114
- URN
- 149499
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01388488350
About this school
Witton-le-Wear Primary School is a primary academy in Bishop Auckland. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 114 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Witton-le-Wear 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
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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 12 | 16 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 56% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 63% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 81% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 88% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 |
Trends over time
How Witton-le-Wear 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 | — | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 56% | 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 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 101 |
| 2023/24 | 104 |
| 2024/25 | 115 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Witton-le-Wear Primary School compares
Witton-le-Wear Primary School ranked 123rd of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 56% | 3.9% | 8.1% | 114 | — |
| Howden-le-Wear Primary School | 41% | 5.4% | 24.6% | 179 | 1.5 miles |
| St Chad's Catholic Primary School, Witton Park | 67% | 6.4% | 31.8% | 57 | 1.9 miles |
| Hamsterley Primary School | — | 4.5% | 16.1% | 36 | 2.0 miles |
| Toft Hill Primary School | 74% | 4% | 16.2% | 203 | 2.3 miles |
| Crook Primary School | 52% | 5.5% | 42.2% | 342 | 2.6 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 8.08%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 3.87%
- Persistent absence
- 4.3%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Howden-le-Wear Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Crook
-
St Chad's Catholic Primary School, Witton Park1.9 miles
Primary · Bishop Auckland
-
Hamsterley Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Bishop Auckland
-
Toft Hill Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Bishop Auckland
-
Crook Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Crook
Other schools in Bishop Auckland
Witton-le-Wear Primary School ranks 12th of the 22 ranked primary schools in Bishop Auckland.
- Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law Primary
- 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
Common questions
- What ages does Witton-le-Wear Primary School teach?
- Witton-le-Wear Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Bishop Auckland.
- Who is the headteacher of Witton-le-Wear Primary School?
- The headteacher of Witton-le-Wear Primary School is Mr Shawn Laws, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Witton-le-Wear Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Witton-le-Wear 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 Witton-le-Wear Primary School?
- Witton-le-Wear Primary School has 114 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Witton-le-Wear Primary School full?
- Witton-le-Wear Primary School has capacity for 100 pupils and 114 on roll (114%), 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 Witton-le-Wear Primary School a faith school?
- No. Witton-le-Wear Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Witton-le-Wear Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Witton-le-Wear Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Witton-le-Wear Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Witton-le-Wear Primary School is part of ADVANCE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Witton-le-Wear Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2023/24 and 56% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Witton-le-Wear Primary School compare with other schools in County Durham?
- Witton-le-Wear Primary School ranked 123rd of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Witton-le-Wear Primary School's absence rate?
- Witton-le-Wear Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Witton-le-Wear Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Witton-le-Wear 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 10 July 2026.