Wearhead Primary School
Wearhead Primary School is a council school in Bishop Auckland for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 11 pupils and room for 42. About 18 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools.
Wearhead, Bishop Auckland, DL13 1BN01388 537265wearhead.durham.sch.ukMr Richard Sains headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
4 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | – | – |
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.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
44 places were empty (79% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 43% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (2), language and communications needs (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 11 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 23 | 20 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 18% | 14% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 10% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 21% | 19% | 22% | 30% | 15% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.8% | 3.4% | 6.2% | 6.3% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.1% | 2.8% | 5.7% | 5.8% | 2.9% | 3.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 0.0% | 0.0% | 13.3% | 21.7% | 9.1% | 5.3% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St John's Chapel Primary School | Council | 2.0 miles | 24 | Good 2024 | 54 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Wearhead Primary School a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Wearhead Primary School yet.
How many pupils does Wearhead Primary School have?
11 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 42 places, so it is 26% full.
Is Wearhead Primary School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 44 places were empty in 2024/25 (79% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Wearhead Primary School?
Pupils were in school 95.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 0% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Wearhead Primary School?
The average class had 5.5 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
- Wearhead, Bishop Auckland, DL13 1BN
- Telephone
- 01388 537265
- Website
- www.wearhead.durham.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Richard Sains
- Type of school
- Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Ward
- Weardale
- Constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- URN
- 114065 · LAESTAB 8402324 · UKPRN 10072170
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.