School Context Comparator

Exam results say a lot about a school's pupils, not just its teaching. A school where many children are disadvantaged or have special educational needs will usually have lower results, even if it's doing a great job. This compares each school with what you'd expect from the pupils it teaches.

Primary and junior schools in Stockton-on-Tees: SATs results in context

% meeting the expected standard, average of the three years to 2024/25. Each numbered dot is a school (see the table below). Above the line means better results than you'd expect from its pupils; the shaded strip is "about what you'd expect".

  • Better than expected
  • About as expected
  • Below expected

The faint grey dots behind are every other school in England, for comparison.

Outlined in black: the school you compared (marked "Compared" in the table).

Green ring: low teacher turnover – among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay (three-year average).

3030404050506060707080809090100100Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected % (from the school's pupils)Actual % meeting the expected standard12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152
3030404050506060707080809090100100Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected %Actual % meeting the expected standard12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152

Loading stats for 13,485 schools across England…

Did you know? In a class of 30, one child moves a school's SATs percentage by more than 3 points - which is why we use a three-year average. How this works

How each school compares

# School Compared with what you'd expect Actual Expected Gap Disadvantaged SEN EAL Pupils(3 years) Teacher turnover(a year)
1 Frederick Nattrass Primary Academy Well above 85% 49% +35.9 75% 29% 8% 79 25%high
2 The Oak Tree Academy Well above 76% 50% +26.1 68% 38% 26% 118 16%above average
3 Oakdene Primary Academy Well above 85% 62% +22.9 34% 16% 9% 94 7%low
4 Egglescliffe Church of England Primary School Well above 89% 66% +22.8 13% 19% 6% 91 0%
5 Norton Primary Academy Well above 79% 58% +21.2 46% 20% 2% 145 5%low
6 The Links Primary School Well above 83% 65% +18.2 12% 24% 0% 81 19%
7 St Bede's Catholic Academy Well above 75% 57% +18.0 68% 12% 36% 85 20%high
8 Preston Primary School Well above 81% 64% +16.9 24% 17% 7% 83 20%high
9 Junction Farm Primary School Well above 84% 70% +13.8 8% 9% 11% 160 15%above average
10 Village Primary School Well above 69% 55% +13.8 50% 27% 3% 86 23%high
11 Hartburn Primary School Well above 79% 66% +12.9 26% 8% 11% 222 10%below average
12 Harewood Primary School Well above 67% 54% +12.7 65% 25% 33% 165 10%
13 Wynyard Church of England Primary School Well above 82% 71% +11.4 5% 7% 0% 175 10%below average
14 Kirklevington Primary School Above 70% 59% +10.6 16% 42% 0% 56 25%
15 St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Stockton Above 79% 70% +9.4 10% 7% 3% 106 16%above average
16 Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Catholic Academy Above 68% 59% +9.1 42% 19% 0% 149 12%below average
17 St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School Above 76% 67% +8.9 8% 20% 5% 181 3%low
18 St Therese of Lisieux Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Catholic Academy Above 78% 69% +8.9 6% 13% 3% 92 11%
19 Wolviston Primary School Above 67% 58% +8.9 43% 21% 0% 42 15%
20 Bewley Primary School Above 65% 57% +8.4 36% 34% 0% 157 5%low
21 Levendale Primary School Above 77% 69% +8.4 7% 14% 3% 86 13%
22 Barley Fields Primary Above 72% 64% +8.2 15% 25% 0% 264 10%below average
23 Whitehouse Primary School Above 69% 61% +8.1 29% 24% 2% 165 0%
24 The Glebe Primary School Above 66% 59% +7.3 31% 31% 2% 160 14%above average
25 Fairfield Primary School Above 70% 63% +6.6 30% 12% 0% 178 7%low
26 Bader Primary School Above 61% 55% +6.5 49% 31% 3% 143 19%above average
27 St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Catholic Academy Above 64% 58% +6.3 41% 26% 4% 173 4%low
28 Layfield Primary School Above 67% 61% +5.9 35% 19% 8% 78 17%above average
29 St Joseph's Catholic Academy Above 70% 64% +5.9 26% 13% 0% 118 27%high
30 Myton Park Primary School Compared As expected 71% 67% +3.9 6% 23% 9% 95 15%above average
31 Crooksbarn Primary School As expected 67% 64% +2.9 26% 13% 0% 115 19%above average
32 Whinstone Primary School As expected 70% 67% +2.9 14% 15% 8% 226 12%below average
33 St Mary's Church of England Primary School As expected 66% 63% +2.7 0% 42% 0% 38 17%
34 Harrow Gate Academy As expected 52% 51% +1.0 63% 32% 5% 174 16%above average
35 Yarm Primary School As expected 68% 68% +0.5 10% 19% 14% 142 7%low
36 St Mark's Church of England Primary School As expected 65% 65% −0.2 15% 20% 2% 164 17%above average
37 St Paul's Catholic Primary School As expected 67% 68% −0.7 7% 18% 4% 86 10%below average
38 Prior's Mill CofE Primary School As expected 67% 68% −1.2 11% 11% 0% 202 7%low
39 Bowesfield Primary School As expected 50% 52% −2.0 73% 37% 67% 123 8%low
40 Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Academy As expected 56% 59% −2.8 47% 18% 12% 68 22%
41 St Gregory's Catholic Academy As expected 56% 59% −2.9 43% 20% 7% 91 10%below average
42 Billingham South Community Primary School As expected 53% 57% −3.9 44% 26% 3% 190 7%low
43 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School As expected 55% 59% −4.1 47% 17% 13% 77 17%
44 William Cassidi Church of England Aided Primary School As expected 61% 65% −4.3 19% 19% 13% 62 11%
45 St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Stockton Below 55% 60% −5.3 47% 17% 30% 88 6%
46 Rosebrook Primary School Below 47% 53% −6.1 53% 35% 11% 175 11%below average
47 Hardwick Green Primary Academy Below 44% 51% −6.5 73% 29% 20% 163 22%high
48 Pentland Primary School Below 44% 51% −7.3 55% 38% 3% 110 43%high
49 St John the Baptist Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Below 34% 44% −9.6 80% 47% 9% 123 2%low
50 St John the Evangelist Catholic Primary School Below 44% 55% −10.9 36% 41% 0% 70 39%
51 Mill Lane Primary School Below 42% 53% −11.0 71% 32% 58% 91 18%above average
52 Thornaby Church of England Primary School Well below 47% 59% −12.0 42% 19% 2% 155 19%above average

Results are the average of the last three Year 6 groups, which is steadier than a single year. Pupil percentages are for the latest Year 6. Disadvantaged: eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, or looked after by the council. SEN: special educational needs (SEN support or an EHC plan). EAL: English as an additional language.

How this works

We looked at every comparable state primary and junior school in England (14,315 schools) to see how SATs results usually change with the make-up of a year group. On average:

  • For every 10 more disadvantaged pupils in every 100, the share meeting the expected standard is about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with SEN in every 100, it's about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with English as an additional language in every 100, it's about 0.7 percentage points higher. Pupils learning English often catch up quickly.

From those, each school gets an expected result for its own pupils, which we compare with its actual result. Primary year groups are small – in a class of 30, one child moves the percentage by more than 3 points – so we use the three-year average and allow for each school's own pupil numbers: a small school needs a bigger gap before we call it above or below what you'd expect.

What we found: schools where teachers stay

We put every primary and junior school's result-against-expected next to its teacher turnover – the share of its teachers who moved to another school or left state schools each year, averaged over three years (DfE school workforce census). Across 8,274 schools in England, split into four equal groups by turnover:

Teacher turnoverTypical turnoverResults vs expectedDid better than expected
Lowest turnover 7% a year +1.8 pts 40%
Lower-middle 12% a year +1.2 pts 37%
Upper-middle 17% a year +0.7 pts 36%
Highest turnover 26% a year −1.2 pts 32%

The pattern is the same as for secondary schools but weaker, and most of the difference is in the quarter of schools where teachers leave most often (−1.2 percentage points, against +1.8 for the lowest-turnover quarter). Primary staffs are small and SATs results move around from year to year, which blurs the picture.

A link isn't proof that one causes the other: losing teachers may hold results back, and a school that's struggling for other reasons (leadership, for example) may also lose more teachers. Nationally, turnover is fairly steady from year to year and teachers who move are replaced – but between schools it varies a lot, from under one teacher in ten a year to more than one in five. The green rings on the chart mark the lowest-turnover quarter.

What it can't tell you

  • These three things explain only about 18% of the differences between schools. Much of what makes a school stronger or weaker, and much about its pupils, isn't captured by any published figure.
  • Even averaged over three years, small schools' results move around a lot, so treat close calls as roughly equal.
  • It isn't an excuse for lower results. It shows how a school does compared with schools teaching similar pupils, so you can compare more fairly.
  • We deliberately don't adjust for attendance or exclusions: those are partly down to the school itself.

Source: Department for Education, Key Stage 2 performance data (2024/25). Calculated by The School Companion.