Polam Hall School
Grange Road, Darlington, DL1 5PA
842 pupils · 95% of 882 capacity
- Phase
- All-through
- Type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 4–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- WOODARD ACADEMIES TRUST
- Local authority
- Darlington
- Free school meals
- 31.2%
Ofsted
Expected standard (2025) — Report card — the most common grade across the inspected areas
| Inclusion | Expected standard |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and teaching | Expected standard |
| Achievement | Expected standard |
| Attendance and behaviour | Expected standard |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Strong standard |
| Leadership and governance | Expected standard |
| Early years | Expected standard |
| Safeguarding | Met |
Inspected 25 November 2025, published 18 January 2026. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 59% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 6% |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.6 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 37.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 63.3% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 33.3% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 0.96 first-choice applications per place (primary entry, Sept 2026 entry)
Usually has places available — 0.94 first-choice applications per place (secondary entry, Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 45 | 43 | 137 | 45 |
| Sept 2026 entry | 107 | 101 | 287 | 107 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 41 | 38 | 125 | 40 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 108 | 115 | 305 | 108 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 45 | 46 | 129 | 45 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 108 | 108 | 288 | 108 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 42 | 42 | 84 | 42 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 110 | 114 | 254 | 110 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Christ's College 42.7 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Academy 360 42.8 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- Excelsior Academy 51.4 km · Requires improvement (2024) · previous system
- Kings Priory School 56.4 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- Bede Academy 66.7 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- Carr Manor Community School 76.2 km · No overall grade (2025)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.