1
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Shotton
Durham • County Durham • DH6 2JQ
2
8 Sep 2024
Top 10 Primary schools in Durham
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
This Top 10 showcases primary schools in the town of Durham. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total primary schools
13
Outstanding
0
Good
10
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 0% · G: 83% · RI: 17% · I: 0%
2
Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School
Durham • County Durham • DH1 2TX
2
9 Jun 2024
3
St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Sacriston
Durham • County Durham • DH7 6AB
2
8 Nov 2023
4
Esh CofE (Aided) Primary School
Durham • County Durham • DH7 9QR
2
27 Sep 2022
5
St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village
Durham • County Durham • DH7 9QY
2
7 Jul 2022
6
Shincliffe CofE (Controlled) Primary School
Durham • County Durham • DH1 2PN
2
20 Jun 2022
7
St Margaret's Church of England Primary School
Durham • County Durham • DH1 4QB
2
3 Apr 2022
8
Middlestone Moor Academy
Durham • County Durham • DL16 7DA
2
11 Feb 2020
9
Sherburn Primary School
Durham • County Durham • DH6 1DU
2
22 Jul 2016
10
Finchale Primary School
Durham • County Durham • DH1 5XT
2
3 Feb 2015
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 primary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- Langley Park Primary School 3 • Sep 2024
- Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic Primary School 3 • Dec 2023
- Brandon Primary Academy Not judged • Jan 2025