St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle
Birch Road, Barnard Castle, DL12 8JROpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle is a primary school in Barnard Castle for ages 3 to 11. It is one of the 271 schools in County Durham. It ranks 11th of 184 primary schools in County Durham. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in November 2019.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 27 November 2019, report published 19 December 2019
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 12 November 2024
St Mary's is a welcoming and inclusive school where pupils thrive. Pupils are happy. They enjoy positive relationships with staff and peers alike. There is a respectful warmth that spreads through the school. Pupils appreciate that their small school has big ambitions for them to achieve well. They relish the wealth of leadership and enrichment opportunities available to them. Pupils take their peer mentoring responsibilities seriously, too. This includes modelling good manners to younger pupils in the dining hall. Over time, pupils' achievements in external tests have exceeded national averages. Pupils learn well due to the ambitious and well-taught curriculum. Children in the early years swiftly learn the routines of the setting. They are quick to settle to activities. Children also show respect and focus when engaging in a variety of tasks. Pupils enjoy numerous extra-curricular opportunities. They take part in daily clubs, including drama, sport, well-being and choir. Pupils also apply for positions in the 'Climate Change Team'. Through these, they plan and put in place a wide variety of initiatives. For example, pupils were inspired by a trip to a recycling centre. As a result, they created a 'litter bug' group that picks up litter in school and in the local community. These rich opportunities contribute exceptionally well to pupils' personal development.
What the school should improve
- There is some variation in how well handwriting is taught. This means that some pupils do not acquire skills in letter formation well enough and are not ready to move on to more complex tasks. The school should ensure pupils have sufficient opportunities to practise and embed foundational skills in writing before complexity in writing increases.
- The school's approach to identifying errors and helping pupils address these errors in their written work is not consistent. Some pupils embed misconceptions in their writing or do not routinely learn from their mistakes. The school should improve the use of assessment to help pupils to spot errors and improve the quality of their writing.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
16 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
103 pupils on roll, with places for 105
Schools near St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montalbo Nursery & Primary School | 0.4 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | 85% met the expected standard |
| Green Lane Church of England Primary School | 0.5 miles | Ofsted: Good | 55% met the expected standard |
| Cotherstone Primary School | 3 miles | Ofsted: Good | 40% met the expected standard |
| Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School | 4 miles | Report card: Expected standard | Not published |
| Staindrop CofE (Controlled) Primary School | 6 miles | Ofsted: Good | 84% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- BISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Age range
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Nursery classes
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lesley Ann Box
- Phone
- 01833637029
- Address
- Birch Road, Barnard Castle, DL12 8JR
- Local authority
- County Durham
- URN
- 149058
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.