School Chooser

St Bede's Catholic Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic231 pupilsNurseryStockton-on-Tees
School Chooser Score
81
Above
similar schools
Likely range 61 to 91
Out of 100. Better than 94% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedStrong teachingOfsted report card, November 2025
Reached the expected level at 1168%England 63%
Attendance96.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families54%Far more than most schools
Parents would recommend85%13 Parent View responses
PlacesFull231 pupils, 189 places

St Bede's Catholic Academy is a converter academy in Stockton-on-Tees for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 231 pupils, 42 more than it has places for. About 54 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 81 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in November 2025 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Green Lane, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 0DW01642 678071stbedesstockton.bhcet.org.ukMrs Bernadette Rizzie-Allan (Executive Head) head of schoolAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 18 November 2025. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
Strong
Achievement
Strong
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Exceptional
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Strong
Early years
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
11 November 2021UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

25 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1168%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level4%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score109.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 78%78%20172018: 73%73%20182019: 56%56%20192023: 87%87%20232024: 70%70%20242025: 68%68%2025
Since 2017: -10%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Stockton-on-TeesEngland
Pupils tested253030252623
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths68%70%87%56%73%78%66%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths4%10%7%4%12%4%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score109.0106.0107.0103.0107.0107.0106.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0107.0105.0104.0104.0106.0105.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score108.0106.0108.0106.0107.0109.0105.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard88%77%90%64%85%87%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard92%83%93%76%81%91%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)88%77%90%76%92%83%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.1-1.9+2.9+3.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.1-1.7+1.0+1.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged65%67%67%44%67%80%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged75%72%100%86%82%77%

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.

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. 2 of the 4 gaps are 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
65%75%
Gap 10 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
77%58%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
89%68%
Gap 21 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%4%
Gap 4 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. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Full199 pupils for 189 places, 2024/25
105% full

The school is full, with 10 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 4% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

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 Stockton-on-Tees council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

What parents say

Would recommend the school85%England 87%
My child is happy here85%agree or strongly agree
My child feels safe85%
Positive overall85%
My child is happy at this school
85%England 89%
My child feels safe at this school
85%England 90%
Pupils are well behavedThe school makes sure its pupils are well behaved
92%England 83%
Has your child been bullied here?Parents answering yes
15% yesEngland 18%
Bullying was dealt with quickly and effectivelyOnly parents whose child was bullied
0%England 50%
My child gets the right support to learn well
85%England 85%
Does your child have SEND?Parents answering yes
15% yesEngland 26%
The school gives them the support they needOnly parents of children with SEND
50%England 71%
The school communicates well with me
77%England 80%
My concerns have been dealt with properlyWhen I have raised concerns
54%England 69%
Decisions put the child's best interests first
77%England 82%
I would recommend this school
85%England 87%
Overall view of the school is positive
85%England 82%
Strongly agreeAgreeDon't knowDisagreeStrongly disagreeEngland, agree or yes

From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 13 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for primary schools with enough answers to publish.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll231Census January 2026
Places189122% full
Pupils from low-income families53%54% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English44%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support8%19 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size28.58 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)56%£175,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls104 / 127
White British pupils52%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (12), Hearing impairment (2), emotional and mental health (2), language and communications needs (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll231228227218219207
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals53%55%42%48%48%40%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language44%40%38%30%26%29%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support11%7%10%9%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%1%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school6.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.1%3.5%4.4%4.2%1.8%3.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.1%2.3%3.3%3.2%1.3%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.1%1.3%1.1%1.0%0.5%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence6.7%5.6%10.9%8.2%1.2%2.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.80.40.00.51.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.0full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher23.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,274
Teachers who left in the year27%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.62024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£6,958England £7,128. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£7,509England £7,587. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,259England £3,405
Money in reserve9%A healthy amount put by: £150k, £707 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£117kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,958spent per pupil

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 m82612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate175 per 1,000 people92% higher than the England average
Typical house price£178,000Stockton-on-Tees
Nearest bus stop160 mBrown's Bridge, 18 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
The Oak Tree AcademyAcademy150 m216Good 201985Compare
Mill Lane Primary SchoolCouncil850 m252Good 202325Compare
St John the Baptist Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolChurch of England920 m309Good 20238Compare
Whitehouse Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles340Good 202332Compare
Oxbridge Lane Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles243Good 2021Compare
St Gregory's Catholic AcademyAcademy0.8 miles224Report card 202644Compare
Tilery Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 milesNo overall grade 2024Compare
Bowesfield Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles337Good 202421Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Bede's Catholic Academy with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats94%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 81 is 43 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 38 · highest 91100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 81 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 81% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 61 to 91. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.02
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 25 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well above
+0.21
Ofsted report card, 0.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
0.00
DfE progress measure; 25 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.05
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 180 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.16
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 25 pupils
What parents say5%in line
-0.01
Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 13 responses

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is St Bede's Catholic Academy a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St Bede's Catholic Academy scores 81 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 61 to 91, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is St Bede's Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 18 November 2025 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as strong, behaviour and attendance as exceptional, leadership as strong.

How good are St Bede's Catholic Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 68% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 4% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Bede's Catholic Academy have?

231 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 189 places, so it is 122% full.

Is St Bede's Catholic Academy oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 10 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at St Bede's Catholic Academy?

Pupils were in school 96.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

What do parents say about St Bede's Catholic Academy?

85% of the 13 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 85% say their child is happy there. Across England, 87% of parents would recommend their child's school.

How big are the classes at St Bede's Catholic Academy?

The average class had 28.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Green Lane, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 0DW
Telephone
01642 678071
Website
stbedesstockton.bhcet.org.uk
Head of School
Mrs Bernadette Rizzie-Allan (Executive Head)
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
Multi-academy trust
Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust (35 schools)
Local authority
Stockton-on-Tees
Ward
Newtown
Constituency
Stockton North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2013 (academy converter)
URN
140442 · LAESTAB 8083317 · UKPRN 10044274
Formerly
St Bede's Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from