St Bede's Catholic Primary School
Primary · Academy converter · Ages 3–11 · Darlington
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
3.237 miles
Published by Darlington Borough Council · offers on 16 April 2026
2023–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
St Bede's Catholic Primary School is a primary school in Darlington for ages 3–11 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 3 December 2024. Darlington has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2023 to 2026 entry.
St Bede's Catholic Primary School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | 3.237 mi |
| Reception 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- The last child offered a Reception place for 2026 lived 3.237 miles away, the 3rd longest of 11 Darlington primary schools with a published last distance (middle figure 1.22 miles).
- Reception 2026 had 49 first-choice applications for 45 offers; 43 offers went to first-choice families and 6 first-choice families (12%) were not offered a place.
- In 2024/25, 64% met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 62%), and 5% reached the higher standard (England 8%).
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Darlington schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Kingsway, Thompson Street East, Darlington, DL1 3ES
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 3–11
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Council
- Darlington
- Pupils on roll
- 322 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 11.5% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 22.5
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 3 December 2024
Strengths
- “This school has a strong family ethos, supported by its values, which run through all aspects of school life.”
- “Relationships between staff and pupils at St Bede’s are positive and nurturing.”
- “They are built on kindness and respect, which adults model exceptionally well.”
To improve
- “However, in some subjects, the checks that staff make on pupils’ understanding are not always used to ensure that pupils learn and practise the right skills at the right time.”
- “For example, in mathematics and reading, while checks are rightfully carried out on those pupils at risk of falling behind their peers, other pupils are not accessing the learning they need to continue to build on their knowledge.”
- “However, the school does not always use what it knows about these pupils well enough.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 24 January 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 64% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 49 first-preference applications, 45 offers in total, 43 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Darlington.
- Harrowgate Hill Primary School 0.5 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Springfield Academy 0.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Northwood Primary School 0.6 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Whinfield Primary School 0.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Gurney Pease Academy 0.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Red Hall Primary School 1.1 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Corporation Road Community Primary School 1.3 mi Good Last distance published
- Reid Street Primary School 1.4 mi School remains Good Last distance published