SCHOOL PROFILE

Gurney Pease Academy

Primary Academy converter URN 138362
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 274 Published school capacity
Capacity used 69.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

17 February 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Needs attention
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

20 October 2021
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 6 December 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Darlington
Trust THE EDUCATION VILLAGE ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 191 184 full-time · 7 part-time
Female pupils 87 45.5% of pupils
Male pupils 104 54.5% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

49.2%
24.4 pts above England
School 49.2%
Darlington 28.9%
North East 32.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

11.5%
8.8 pts below England
School 11.5%
Darlington 10.6%
North East 10.0%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Darlington 0.6%
North East 0.9%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
82.2%
157
Any other White background
5.8%
11
African
4.2%
8
White and Asian
2.6%
5
Any other Black background
1.0%
2
White and Black African
1.0%
2
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 22.5% 43 of 191 pupils
1.7 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 22.5%
Darlington 22.4%
North East 22.6%
England 20.8%
SEN support 19.4% 37 pupils
England 14.8% 4.6 pts above
EHC plans 3.1% 6 pupils
England 6.0% 2.9 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 26
Moderate learning difficulty 8
Social, emotional & mental health 5
Autistic spectrum disorder 2
Hearing impairment 1
Specific learning difficulty 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

73.0% 12.6 pts above England
School 73.0%
Darlington 59.8%
North East 61.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

80.0%

6.2 pts above England

School 80.0%
Darlington 69.9%
North East 73.1%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

80.0%

9.7 pts above England

School 80.0%
Darlington 70.2%
North East 71.1%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

77.0%

5.0 pts above England

School 77.0%
Darlington 71.3%
North East 72.3%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.28%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.06 pts higher than England
School 7.28%
Darlington 6.19%
North East 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

22.36%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

6.54 pts higher than England
School 22.36%
Darlington 17.45%
North East 16.04%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.24%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.56 pts lower than England
School 1.24%
Darlington 2.16%
North East 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

69.7% 18.5 pts below England
Gurney Pease Academy
69.7%
Darlington
94.4%
North East
87.8%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information