School Chooser

Eskdale Academy

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademy179 pupilsNurseryHartlepool
School Chooser Score
27
Below
similar schools
Likely range 13 to 52, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 53% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, June 2026
Reached the expected level at 1162%England 63%
Attendance91.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families62%Far more than most schools
Places118 spare179 pupils, 297 places
Pupils per teacher18.3School workforce census

Eskdale Academy is a sponsored academy in Hartlepool for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 179 pupils and room for 297. About 62 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 27 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 53% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in June 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Eskdale Road, Hartlepool, TS25 4BT01429 272255eskdaleacademy.comMr Anthony Emms headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 16 June 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Needs attention
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
Early years
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
5 April 2022S5 InspectionGood

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

26 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1162%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level8%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 86%86%20172018: 90%90%20182019: 81%81%20192023: 81%81%20232024: 73%73%20242025: 62%62%2025
Since 2017: -24%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HartlepoolEngland
Pupils tested262626262122
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths62%73%81%81%90%86%69%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths8%8%8%4%14%14%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0105.0106.0105.0109.0107.0106.1105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0104.0106.0105.0108.0110.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0104.0107.0106.0110.0107.0105.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard85%85%85%81%95%86%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard69%77%88%85%90%95%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)77%81%81%85%90%86%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.5+0.3+5.6+3.0
Maths progressMaths progress score+2.8-0.4+5.6+6.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged50%75%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged80%100%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
50%80%
Gap 30 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
72%38%
Gap 34 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
6%8%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places154 pupils for 297 places, 2024/25
52% full

143 places were empty (48% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 18% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (18 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary304518all offeredLA
2025 Primary304216all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll179Census January 2026
Places29760% full
Pupils from low-income families52%62% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support35%62 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size15.211 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)70%£155,000 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls103 / 76
White British pupils96%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 10 pupils, for speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Hartlepool with speech, language and communication provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 14.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 15.2 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (26), language and communications needs (24), emotional and mental health (15), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Multi-sensory impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll179189198217234234
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals52%57%61%65%61%56%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%3%3%3%3%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support29%22%23%23%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%0%1%0%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school30.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.2%8.9%9.7%8.5%6.4%4.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.4%4.9%5.3%6.2%5.1%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.7%3.9%4.5%2.3%1.3%1.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence30.6%31.7%30.2%32.2%23.0%13.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers9.0full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher18.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£44,957
Teachers who left in the year57%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.32024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£8,571England £7,128. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£9,353England £7,587. Total £1.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,103England £3,405
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £95k, £514 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£144kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£8,571spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m96612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate187 per 1,000 people105% higher than the England average
Typical house price£155,000Hartlepool
Nearest bus stop60 mEskdale Academy, 18 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Grange Primary SchoolAcademy520 m360Not inspected56Compare
Rossmere AcademyAcademy720 m421Not inspected37Compare
St Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy970 m299Good 202330Compare
Fens Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles457Good 202372Compare
Rift House Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles254Good 202441Compare
Kingsley Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles432Not inspected45Compare
St Aidan's Church of England Memorial Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles357Report card 202643Compare
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, HartlepoolAcademy1.3 miles236Good 202466Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Eskdale Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats53%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 27 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 25 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 27 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 27% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 13 to 52. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.06
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 26 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%below
-0.14
Ofsted report card, 0.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.07
DfE progress measure; 26 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.12
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.22
2024/25; 160 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.17
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 26 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Eskdale Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Eskdale Academy scores 27 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 53% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 13 to 52, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Eskdale Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 16 June 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as needs attention, leadership as as expected.

How good are Eskdale Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 62% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 8% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Eskdale Academy have?

179 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 297 places, so it is 60% full.

Is Eskdale Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 143 places were empty in 2024/25 (48% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Eskdale Academy?

Pupils were in school 91.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 31% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Eskdale Academy?

The average class had 15.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Eskdale Academy have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Eskdale Road, Hartlepool, TS25 4BT
Telephone
01429 272255
Website
www.eskdaleacademy.com
Headteacher
Mr Anthony Emms
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Eden Academy Trust Limited (5 schools)
Local authority
Hartlepool
Ward
Manor House
Constituency
Hartlepool
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 July 2013 (new provision)
URN
139584 · LAESTAB 8052002 · UKPRN 10041561
Formerly
Owton Manor Primary School

Where these figures come from