Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard: 78% of primary pupils in Barnard Castle, above both County Durham’s towns (62%) and towns in England (62%). 4 state-funded schools are located in Barnard Castle’s built-up area. Barnard Castle grades A+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #1 of 52 in County Durham. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
Barnard Castle’s secondary results beat 96% of English towns; its primary results beat 98%. 78% of the town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 60% across County Durham. Every school’s result ↓
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle, 22% of pupils are on free school meals and 82% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 63%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
The primary figure: 3 primaries in the town, 219 pupils in results over three years. Barnard Castle has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (110 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Barnard Castle’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 14% at Montalbo Nursery & Primary School to 32% at Green Lane Church of England Primary School. Against schools with the same intake, Montalbo Nursery & Primary School does best: 91% with 14% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 65%. 3 of 3 primaries are above the line.
| School | Free school meals | Result | Typical for that intake | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montalbo Nursery & Primary SchoolKS2 % | 14% | 91% | 65% | +26 |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard CastleKS2 % | 22% | 82% | 63% | +19 |
| Green Lane Church of England Primary SchoolKS2 % | 32% | 67% | 60% | +7 |
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
County Durham Council handles applications for every state school in Barnard Castle, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 2 of Barnard Castle’s 4 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 1 school is at or over it.
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Barnard Castle’s 4 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East Learning TrustTeesdale School and Sixth Form | 1 | 684 | A |
| Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning TrustGreen Lane | 1 | 188 | B |
| Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education TrustSt Mary's | 1 | 103 | A |
| County Durham CouncilMontalbo Nursery & | 1 | 240 | A+ |
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
The state secondary in Barnard Castle has its own sixth form. The nearest college is Bishop Auckland College, a further-education college 11.6 miles away.
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Barnard Castle, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | A+ | 83% | 78.4 | 99% |
| … | |||||
| 8 | Great Glen Leicestershire | A+ | 79% | 56.6 | 68% |
| 9 | Liphook Hampshire | A+ | 79% | 56.5 | 68% |
| 10 | Wrecclesham Surrey | A+ | 74% | 61.2 | 72% |
| 11 | Kelvedon and Feering Essex | A+ | 76% | — | — |
| 12 | Barnard Castle County Durham | A+ | 78% | 57 | 66% |
| 13 | Cottenham Cambridgeshire | A+ | 79% | 56.6 | 64% |
| 14 | Fairford Gloucestershire | A+ | 79% | 54.8 | 66% |
| 15 | Eynsham Oxfordshire | A+ | 82% | 55 | 61% |
| 16 | Redbourn Hertfordshire | A+ | 73% | 59.1 | 73% |
| … | |||||
| 567 | Amble Northumberland | D− | 35% | 32.7 | 16% |
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard Castle 4 schools | A+ | 78% | 57 |
| Startforth 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 0.7 mi | A+ | 78% | 57 |
| Staindrop 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 5.1 mi | A | 87% | 47.7 |
| Cockfield 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 6.4 mi | B+ | 65% | — |
| Gainford 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 7.3 mi | D− | 48% | — |
| Evenwood 2 schools · 8.2 mi | A+ | 80% | — |
| West Auckland 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 9.8 mi | D | 40% | 42.4 |
| Toft Hill and High Etherley 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 9.9 mi | C− | 56% | 42.4 |
Evenwood has the best-graded schools nearby (A+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
Barnard Castle’s state schools earn an A+ against schools across England: primary results beat 98% of towns in England; secondary results beat 96% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by County Durham council.
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Montalbo Nursery & Primary School: 91% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Yes, it has one.
Through County Durham Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
1 of 4 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
4 open state-funded schools are located in Barnard Castle’s built-up area: 3 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.