Schools in County Durham

Our records show 360 primary and 95 secondary schools within the County Durham boundary, with 441 unique schools in total. All-through schools can appear in both lists, so the phase totals may overlap. Schools without usable location data cannot be included, so these counts may be incomplete.

Ofsted grades describe inspection findings in England, rather than a child's exam results. Older reports may show an overall grade such as Good or Outstanding. New report cards grade individual areas from Exceptional to Urgent improvement, with Strong standard, Expected standard and Needs attention in between; they do not give one overall grade. Wales and Scotland have different inspectorates and frameworks. Always read the dated report. Our GetAgent summary for County Durham groups 25 schools as GetAgent Super Schools, 179 as GetAgent Good Schools and 35 as GetAgent Needs Improvement Schools. 202 schools are unrated and excluded from the percentages. This is not an official grade: it checks all published judgements, safeguarding and newer inspection updates. Missing or unsupported evidence is not a negative judgement.

The best school for your child depends on their needs, interests and daily journey. Our County Durham records include 413 state-funded and 28 independent schools. Compare age ranges, learning support, inspection findings and the school environment, alongside results where available. Visit shortlisted schools and ask about pastoral care, additional needs, clubs and the journey at school-run times. A high inspection grade alone does not tell you whether a school is the right fit.

The County Durham boundary used on this page is not a school catchment boundary. A catchment rule may affect priority, but admission arrangements vary by school. A historic offer distance shows evidence from a particular year, not a permanent catchment or a promise of a place. Check the school's current criteria and how it measures distance before using this information to plan a move.

For the County Durham schools shown with “None”, the selected admissions evidence says all applicants were offered a place under the source's criteria, rather than giving a limiting distance. This can include applicants offered a higher-preference school. Open the information icon for the year and qualifications. A range means the published cutoffs differ; see the admissions details for each figure. “Not available” means we cannot show a reliable distance; it does not mean everyone received a place. Neither label predicts the next admissions round.

No. The pupil figures for schools in County Durham describe the recorded size of the whole school, not the annual intake, class size or current vacancies. For an all-through school, the total can cover more than one phase. Use the information icon to check the date, and ask the school or local authority about available places in your child's year group.