Looking at the percentage of pupils meeting the 'extended standard', Ofsted has ranked the schools using data from the 2023 academic year. 

While Ofsted has changed the way it does inspections, this data takes academic data from the Ofsted site, provided by the Department for Education. 

The Government announced that single-phrase inspection headline grades for schools in England are being scrapped, and Ofsted has set out a series of reforms following a major public consultation.

Schools in England will no longer be issued with one of four judgments for overall effectiveness – outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate – when inspected.

The change, which was announced by the Department for Education (DfE), and was scrapped with immediate effect following criticism of the inspection system since the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.

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Mrs Perry took her own life after an Ofsted report downgraded her Caversham Primary School in Reading from its highest rating of “outstanding” to its lowest rating, “inadequate”, over safeguarding concerns.

A coroner concluded the Ofsted inspection in November 2022 “contributed” to Mrs Perry’s death.

But this academic year, parents will still be able to see the four grades across the existing sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Top 25 primary schools in County Durham

1. Stanley (Crook) Primary School
   Address: Wooley Terrace, Crook, DL15 9AN
   % of pupils meeting expected standard: 90%
2. Cestria Primary School
   Address: Church Chare, Chester-le-Street, DH3 3PZ
   % of pupils meeting expected standard: 88%
3. St Michael's Church of England Primary School
   Address: Front Street, Bishop Middleham, Ferryhill, DL17 9AL
   % of pupils meeting expected standard: 87%
4. Bernard Gilpin Primary School
   Address: Hall Lane Estate, Houghton-le-Spring, DH5 8DA
   % of pupils meeting expected standard: 86%
5. Bullion Lane Primary School
   Address: Bullion Lane, Chester-le-Street, DH2 2DP
   % of pupils meeting expected standard: 86%
6. St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley
   Address: Thornley Road, Wheatley Hill, DH6 3NR
   % of pupils meeting expected standard: 86%
7. St Oswald's Church of England Aided Primary and Nursery School
   Address: Church Street, Durham, DH1 3DQ
   % of pupils meeting expected standard: 86%
8. Ferryhill Station Primary School
   Address: Chilton Lane, Ferryhill, DL17 0DB
   % of pupils meeting expected standard: 83%
9. Framwellgate Moor Primary School
   Address: Newton Drive, Durham, DH1 5BG
   % of pupils meeting expected standard: 83%
10. Kirk Merrington Primary School
    Address: South View, Spennymoor, DL16 7JB
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 83%
11. Langley Moor Primary School
    Address: Brandon Lane, Durham, DH7 8LL
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 72%
12. Woodlea Primary School
    Address: Fence Houses, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 6AR
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 83%
13. Neville's Cross Primary School and Nursery
    Address: Relly Path, Neville's Cross, Durham, DH1 4JG
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 82%
14. Finchale Primary School
    Address: Canterbury Road, Framwellgate Moor, Durham, DH1 5XT
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 81%
15. St Margaret's Church of England Primary School
    Address: Crossgate Peth, Durham, DH1 4QB
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 81%
16. Greenland Community Primary School
    Address: South Moor Road, South Moor, Stanley, DH9 7EZ
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 80%
17. Coxhoe Primary School
    Address: Cornforth Lane, Coxhoe, Durham, DH6 4EJ
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 78%
18. Barnwell Academy
    Address: Whitefield Estate, Penshaw, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 7RT
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 76%
19. Cassop Primary School
    Address: Cassop, Durham, DH6 4RA
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 76%
20. Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School
    Address: Dean Bank, Ferryhill, DL17 8PP
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 76%
21. Lanchester Endowed Parochial Primary School
    Address: Front Street, Lanchester, Durham, DH7 0HU
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 76%
22. Red Rose Primary School
    Address: York Terrace, Chester-le-Street, DH3 3NA
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 76%
23. Pittington Primary School
    Address: Hallgarth Lane, Pittington, Durham, DH6 1AF
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 74%
24. Easington CofE Primary School
    Address: Hall Walks, Easington Village, Peterlee, DH5 0BH
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 75%
25. Shotton Primary School
    Address: Grange Terrace, Shotton Colliery, DH6 2JP
    % of pupils meeting expected standard: 71%

*This list isn't based on Ofsted inspections and is from academic data on the Ofsted website. It is accurate at the time of writing on October 25.

*The data came from the Department for Education and only includes a percentage of pupils meeting the 'extended standard', and should be pointed out that Ofsted does inspections and uses other categories to rank schools.