SCHOOL PROFILE

Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School

Primary Academy sponsor led URN 138556
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 385 Published school capacity
Capacity used 74.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

18 October 2022
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority County Durham
Trust TUDHOE LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 285 268 full-time · 17 part-time
Female pupils 133 46.7% of pupils
Male pupils 152 53.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

64.2%
39.4 pts above England
School 64.2%
County Durham 32.2%
North East 32.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

10.9%
9.4 pts below England
School 10.9%
County Durham 4.7%
North East 10.0%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
County Durham 0.5%
North East 0.9%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
86.7%
247
African
4.6%
13
Any other White background
2.8%
8
Any other ethnic group
2.5%
7
White and Black African
1.1%
3
White and Black Caribbean
1.1%
3
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 28.8% 82 of 285 pupils
7.9 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 28.8%
County Durham 22.4%
North East 22.6%
England 20.8%
SEN support 27.4% 78 pupils
England 14.8% 12.6 pts above
EHC plans 1.4% 4 pupils
England 6.0% 4.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Moderate learning difficulty 31
Speech, language & communication 28
Social, emotional & mental health 14
Physical disability 4
Autistic spectrum disorder 3
Other difficulty or disability 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

29.0% 31.4 pts below England
School 29.0%
County Durham 60.4%
North East 61.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

48.0%

25.8 pts below England

School 48.0%
County Durham 73.0%
North East 73.1%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

55.0%

15.3 pts below England

School 55.0%
County Durham 71.9%
North East 71.1%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

48.0%

24.0 pts below England

School 48.0%
County Durham 72.0%
North East 72.3%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

8.39%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.18 pts higher than England
School 8.39%
County Durham 6.04%
North East 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

30.48%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

14.66 pts higher than England
School 30.48%
County Durham 15.78%
North East 16.04%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.42%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.62 pts higher than England
School 3.42%
County Durham 1.43%
North East 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

74.0% 14.2 pts below England
Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School
74.0%
County Durham
83.6%
North East
87.8%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information