SCHOOL PROFILE

St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School

Primary Academy converter URN 142962
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 210 Published school capacity
Capacity used 102.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

14 February 2023
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority Darlington
Trust MELROSE LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 216 216 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 127 58.8% of pupils
Male pupils 89 41.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

29.6%
4.8 pts above England
School 29.6%
Darlington 28.9%
North East 32.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

11.6%
8.7 pts below England
School 11.6%
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
83.3%
180
Any other Asian background
3.2%
7
Any other White background
3.2%
7
Any other ethnic group
3.2%
7
African
1.9%
4
Indian
1.4%
3
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 14.8% 32 of 216 pupils
6.0 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 14.8%
Darlington 22.4%
North East 22.6%
England 20.8%
SEN support 13.0% 28 pupils
England 14.8% 1.8 pts below
EHC plans 1.9% 4 pupils
England 6.0% 4.2 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 9
Moderate learning difficulty 8
Autistic spectrum disorder 5
Physical disability 4
Social, emotional & mental health 3
No specialist assessment yet 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

37.0% 23.4 pts below England
School 37.0%
Darlington 59.8%
North East 61.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

60.0%

13.8 pts below England

School 60.0%
Darlington 69.9%
North East 73.1%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

53.0%

17.3 pts below England

School 53.0%
Darlington 70.2%
North East 71.1%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

67.0%

5.0 pts below England

School 67.0%
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

4.90%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.32 pts lower than England
School 4.90%
Darlington 6.19%
North East 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

10.73%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

5.08 pts lower than England
School 10.73%
Darlington 17.45%
North East 16.04%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

0.00%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.80 pts lower than England
School 0.00%
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

102.9% 14.7 pts above England
St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School
102.9%
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