School Chooser

St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyChurch of England167 pupilsNurseryDurhamCounty Durham
School Chooser Score
40
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 17 to 70, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 57% of the 50 schools most like it.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, July 2024
Reached the expected level at 1185%England 63%
Attendance94.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families54%Far more than most schools
Places81 spare167 pupils, 248 places
Pupils per teacher22.9School workforce census

St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham is a converter academy in Durham for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 167 pupils and room for 248. About 54 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 40 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 57% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Renny's Lane, Gilesgate, Durham, DH1 2HZ0191 384 7451sthildsprimary.org.ukMrs Alexandra Ryder headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 4 July 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

20 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of St Hild's College Church of England Aided Primary School, Durham, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1185%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level25%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score110.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 63%63%20172018: 79%79%20182019: 58%58%20192023: 48%48%20232024: 61%61%20242025: 85%85%2025
Since 2017: +22%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†County DurhamEngland
Pupils tested201827241919
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths85%61%48%58%79%63%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths25%17%4%0%0%16%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score110.0103.0102.0103.0105.0103.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0104.0103.0106.0106.0105.0104.1104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score108.0103.0104.0106.0107.0106.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard85%78%48%75%79%68%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard90%67%78%88%89%79%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)85%78%78%79%79%79%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.0+0.4+0.3-2.7
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.3+3.6+2.1-0.7
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged85%45%38%60%60%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged86%86%57%56%100%69%

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.

† These results are for St Hild's College Church of England Aided Primary School, Durham, the school this one replaced in December 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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
85%86%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
75%92%
Gap 17 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
23%25%
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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places126 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
60% full

84 places were empty (40% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to County Durham council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

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 roll167Census January 2026
Places24867% full
Pupils from low-income families55%54% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support27%45 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size19.68 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)57%£108,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls87 / 80
White British pupils81%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 24.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (26), language and communications needs (10), emotional and mental health (9), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Multi-sensory impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025
Pupils on roll167162
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals55%51%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support22%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school17.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.4%6.0%6.4%7.4%3.2%4.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.9%4.0%4.2%5.9%2.5%2.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.5%2.0%2.2%1.5%0.7%1.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence17.3%17.7%16.5%24.1%6.3%11.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions0

† These attendance figures are for St Hild's College Church of England Aided Primary School, Durham, the school this one replaced in December 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

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

Teachers6.7full-time equivalent, 8 people
Pupils per teacher22.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£55,102
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.22024/25

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.

Money in reserve23%A lot put by: £236k, £1,584 per pupil
Money in against money out+£141kit took in more than it spent this year

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 m70312 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate230 per 1,000 people152% higher than the England average
Typical house price£143,000County Durham
Nearest bus stop160 mHare and Hounds Veterinary Centre, 19 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
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, GilesgateAcademy150 m86Not inspected64Compare
Durham Gilesgate Primary SchoolCouncil380 m164Good 202346Compare
Laurel Avenue Community Primary SchoolCouncil580 m114Good 202414Compare
Belmont CofE (Controlled) Primary SchoolChurch of England0.8 miles261Report card 202652Compare
St Thomas More Primary School, BelmontAcademy1.0 miles107Good 202377Compare
Belmont Cheveley Park Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles206Good 202477Compare
St Oswald's Church of England Aided Primary and Nursery SchoolChurch of England1.3 miles137Good 202282Compare
Durham Newton Hall Infants' SchoolCouncil1.7 miles110No overall grade 202449Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham 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.

Beats57%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 40 is 7 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 34 · highest 88100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
West Rainton Primary SchoolCouncil2.6 miles148Good 202351Compare
Deaf Hill Primary SchoolAcademy6.6 miles154Good 202277Compare
Forest View PrimaryCouncil13.0 miles213Good 202475Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 40 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 40% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 17 to 70. 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 years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years0%no data
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.15
2024/25; 110 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
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 St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham a good school?

It is about average. St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham scores 40 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 57% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 17 to 70, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham good at its last full inspection on 4 July 2024.

How good are St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 85% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 25% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham have?

167 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 248 places, so it is 67% full.

Is St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham oversubscribed?

Probably not. 84 places were empty in 2024/25 (40% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham?

Pupils were in school 94.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 17% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham?

The average class had 19.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Renny's Lane, Gilesgate, Durham, DH1 2HZ
Telephone
0191 384 7451
Website
sthildsprimary.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Alexandra Ryder
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Durham
Multi-academy trust
Melrose Learning Trust (13 schools)
Local authority
County Durham
Ward
Belmont
Constituency
City of Durham
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2024 (academy converter)
URN
150390 · LAESTAB 8403485 · UKPRN 10093877
Formerly
St Hild's College Church of England Aided Primary School, Durham

Where these figures come from