School Chooser

Dame Dorothy Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy181 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubSunderland
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, February 2022
Reached the expected level at 1153%England 63%
Attendance94.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families30%A bit more than most schools
Places55 spare181 pupils, 236 places
Pupils per teacher18.8School workforce census

Dame Dorothy Primary School is a converter academy in Sunderland for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 181 pupils and room for 236. About 30 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Dock Street, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, SR6 0EA0191 250 5525damedorothyprimary.co.ukMrs Laura Tullock headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 10 February 2022 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Dame Dorothy Primary School, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1153%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level10%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score102.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 74%74%20172018: 57%57%20182019: 71%71%20192023: 62%62%20232024: 62%62%20242025: 53%53%2025
Since 2017: -21%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†SunderlandEngland
Pupils tested303029283023
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths53%62%62%71%57%74%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths10%3%10%14%10%17%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score102.0104.0106.0105.0103.0103.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0107.0106.0107.0105.0104.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0106.0106.0106.0105.0104.0105.7105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard67%70%83%79%67%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard67%83%69%93%77%83%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)67%72%72%86%77%78%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.7-0.1-0.4+0.3
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.7+1.5+1.2+1.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged38%56%44%58%46%69%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged65%65%70%81%65%80%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Dame Dorothy Primary School, the school this one replaced in February 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
38%65%
Gap 27 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
67%44%
Gap 23 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
8%10%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

A few spare places179 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
85% full

About 31 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Sunderland council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll181Census January 2026
Places23677% full
Pupils from low-income families27%30% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English30%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support27%48 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.68 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)26%£65,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls100 / 81
White British pupils56%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 19.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (16), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (12), Moderate learning difficulty (8), emotional and mental health (6), Other difficulty or disability (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (2).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission1.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.4%5.5%6.6%5.9%3.6%3.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.7%3.6%4.6%4.6%2.1%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.7%1.9%1.9%1.4%1.4%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.5%16.7%21.5%20.4%8.3%6.4%12.8%

† These attendance figures are for Dame Dorothy Primary School, the school this one replaced in February 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers9.1full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher18.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,720
Vacancies0

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Money in reserve22%A lot put by: £156k, £807 per pupil
Money in against money out-£36kit spent more than it took in this year

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m76212 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate150 per 1,000 people65% higher than the England average
Typical house price£154,972Sunderland
Nearest bus stop120 mChurch Street North, 27 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Redby AcademyAcademy900 m259Good 202364Compare
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.6 miles303Good 202474Compare
Grange Park Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles208Good 202311Compare
Hudson Road Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles345Good 202378Compare
Fulwell Junior SchoolCouncil1.1 miles350Report card 202686Compare
Fulwell Infant School AcademyAcademy1.1 miles354No overall grade 202552Compare
Southwick Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles345Good 202217Compare
Valley Road AcademyAcademy1.3 miles344Good 202286Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Dame Dorothy Primary School a good school?

Dame Dorothy Primary School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in February 2022.

What is Dame Dorothy Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Dame Dorothy Primary School good at its last full inspection on 10 February 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Dame Dorothy Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 53% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 10% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Dame Dorothy Primary School have?

181 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 236 places, so it is 77% full.

Is Dame Dorothy Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 31 places were empty in 2024/25 (15% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Dame Dorothy Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 20% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Dame Dorothy Primary School?

The average class had 22.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Dame Dorothy Primary School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Dock Street, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, SR6 0EA
Telephone
0191 250 5525
Website
www.damedorothyprimary.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Laura Tullock
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Northern Lights Learning Trust (12 schools)
Local authority
Sunderland
Ward
St Peter's
Constituency
Sunderland Central
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 February 2025 (academy converter)
URN
151412 · LAESTAB 3942070 · UKPRN 10096776
Formerly
Dame Dorothy Primary School

Where these figures come from