Hamsterley Primary School
Hamsterley Primary School, Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland, DL13 3QFOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Hamsterley Primary School is a primary school in Bishop Auckland for ages 4 to 11. It is one of the 271 schools in County Durham. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 8 July 2025, report published 18 September 2025
This inspection graded each key judgement and gave no overall effectiveness grade.
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 8 July 2025
Pupils at Hamsterley Primary School are welcoming, polite and friendly. Through the school's carefully crafted, nurturing environment, pupils blossom as individuals. Happiness radiates throughout the school. Relationships between all members of the school community are highly positive and warm. Not only are pupils safe, but they also have a very well-developed understanding of how to stay safe, both online and in the community. Leaders have high expectations for pupils' achievement. Pupils enjoy lessons and can recall their recent learning well. However, some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could. This inhibits their readiness for the next stage of their education. Pupils' conduct is calm and orderly. Pupils understand the behaviour systems in school. Occasionally, some pupils have difficulty in meeting the school's high expectations for their attitudes to learning. Where this is the case, staff use the positive relationships that exist to address these issues effectively. Parents and carers are very positive about the school. They particularly value the school's supportive ethos. Staff engage well with parents. Communication between school and parents is effective. This promotes the sense of 'family' that is evident at Hamsterley Primary School.
What the school should improve
- In some areas of phonics teaching, misconceptions and errors in pupils' reading are not picked up with sufficient accuracy. This impacts on pupils' reading as gaps in their learning are not addressed swiftly enough. The school should ensure that staff identify and address errors in pupils' reading effectively.
- At times, teaching does not enable pupils to develop their knowledge in some subjects in the wider curriculum well enough. Gaps in learning are not identified and pupils learn to a lesser depth than they do in other subjects. The school should ensure that teaching enables pupils to acquire a deep base of knowledge across all subjects.
Pupil numbers and mix
36 pupils on roll, with places for 49
Schools near Hamsterley Primary School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Witton-le-Wear Primary School | 2 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good to outstanding | 56% met the expected standard |
| Howden-le-Wear Primary School | 3 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good to outstanding | 41% met the expected standard |
| Butterknowle Primary School | 3 miles | Report card: Needs attention to expected standard | 29% met the expected standard |
| Toft Hill Primary School | 4 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good to outstanding | 74% met the expected standard |
| St Chad's Catholic Primary School, Witton Park | 4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 67% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Community school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery classes
- No
- Headteacher
- Mr Richard Sains
- Phone
- 01388488279
- Address
- Hamsterley Primary School, Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland, DL13 3QF
- Local authority
- County Durham
- URN
- 114053
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.