Durham County Council

UK local authority in North East, responsible for 271 schools.

Region

North East

Type

Unitary Authority

LA Code

840

Schools

271 (10 nursery, 208 primary, 30 secondary, 13 special, 2 PRU/AP)

Pupils

73,802

Population

539,146 (99,006 aged 0-17)

Academisation

137 academies, 116 LA-maintained (54.2% academised)

Multi-academy trusts

27 — largest: ADVANCE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP (21 schools)

Deprivation (IMD 2019)

Rank 48 of 151 (1 = most deprived)

KS2 2024/25

62% met expected standard, 8% higher standard

KS4 2024/25

Attainment 8: 44.1, grade 5+ in English & maths: 41.6%

Inspectorate

Ofsted

Director of Education

Rachel Farnham

Website

www.durham.gov.uk

Sources: DfE KS2 attainment, 2024/25 revised · DfE KS4 performance, 2024/25 revised · GIAS (DfE), Aug 2026 · ONS mid-2025 population estimates · IMD 2019, rank of average score, 1 = most deprived of 151 upper-tier LAs