Cockfield Primary School

  • Primary
  • Local authority maintained
  • Ages 2 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Front Street, Cockfield, Bishop Auckland, DL13 5ENOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

Cockfield Primary School is a primary school in Bishop Auckland for ages 2 to 11. It is one of the 271 schools in County Durham. It ranks 2nd of 22 primary schools in Bishop Auckland. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 8 November 2023, report published 13 December 2023

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years provision
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 November 2023

Pupils in this small village school are happy, confident and inquisitive individuals. They embody the school's values of honesty, respect, kindness, positivity and care. Pupils of all ages are polite and well mannered. They feel very safe at school. Parents, carers and staff agree. Staff and governors receive regular training to ensure they know how to keep pupils and themselves safe. Poor behaviour and bullying at this school are rare. Pupils and parents are confident that staff would deal with any incidents quickly and effectively. Cockfield is a place where parents are happy to send their children. One parent summed up the feelings of many by saying, 'I am proud my children attend this school.' Leaders have established high expectations of themselves, of staff and of pupils. This ensures that pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning are both positive. Pupils show a clear understanding of equality. They demonstrate commendable empathy for others and are respectful to all. The school occupies a central position within a tightly knit community. Parents feel part of this school community. They believe that staff are approachable and listen to any issues that they may have. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They describe the school as being like 'one big family'.

What the school should improve

  • The curriculum in mathematics is not being consistently implemented in line with the school's intent. This means that, sometimes, pupils do not receive work at an appropriate level and make less progress than they could. The school must ensure that teaching and learning in mathematics matches more closely the school's intent.
  • Some younger pupils do not retain phonics knowledge sufficiently well. This has a negative impact on their acquisition and application of phonics to learn to read. The school should strengthen their approach to practising and embedding phonics knowledge and check how well pupils are remembering and applying phonics to ensure that all pupils learn to read as quickly as possible.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

8 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths88%

88%, 26 percentage points above the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths25%

25%, 17 percentage points above the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score111

111, 5 above the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score106

106, 1 above the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score109

109, 4 above the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

115 pupils on roll, with places for 119

Eligible for free school meals23.5%

23.5%, 3 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language0.9%

0.9%, 20.7 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support33%

33%, 18.2 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan7%

7%, 1 percentage points above the England average of 6%.

Schools near Cockfield Primary School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Butterknowle Primary School1 mileReport card: Needs attention to expected standard29% met the expected standard
Evenwood Church of England Primary School2 milesOfsted: Good86% met the expected standard
Ramshaw Primary School2 milesOfsted: Good64% met the expected standard
Staindrop CofE (Controlled) Primary School2 milesOfsted: Good84% met the expected standard
Woodland Primary School3 milesOfsted: GoodNot published

School details

School type
Community school
Sector
Local authority maintained
Age range
2 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Nursery classes
Yes
Headteacher
Mrs Nicola Wright
Address
Front Street, Cockfield, Bishop Auckland, DL13 5EN
Local authority
County Durham
URN
114114

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.