School Chooser

Washingwell Community Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil181 pupilsNurseryNewcastle-upon-TyneGateshead
School Chooser Score
41
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 19 to 68
Out of 100. Better than 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, November 2024
Reached the expected level at 1157%England 63%
Attendance95.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families17%Far fewer than most schools
Places42 spare181 pupils, 223 places
Pupils per teacher22.4School workforce census

Washingwell Community Primary School is a council school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 181 pupils and room for 223. About 17 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 41 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Bucks Hill View, Whickham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE16 4RB0191 488 4400washingwell.org.ukMrs Alison Hall headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 November 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
30 October 2019UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1157%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 63%63%20172018: 78%78%20182019: 74%74%20192023: 70%70%20232024: 48%48%20242025: 57%57%2025
Since 2017: -6%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017GatesheadEngland
Pupils tested212527272716
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths57%48%70%74%78%63%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%12%4%4%4%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0104.0107.0105.0106.0103.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0103.0103.0105.0104.0102.0105.3104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0102.0105.0105.0106.0105.0106.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard76%60%89%89%81%69%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard76%60%81%85%85%63%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)67%68%85%81%81%75%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.7+1.4+0.5-3.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.4+0.1-1.0-3.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged17%56%56%67%29%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged58%78%83%83%89%

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. None of the 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 11Boys vs girls
64%43%
Gap 21 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 places166 pupils for 195 places, 2024/25
85% full

About 29 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

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 Gateshead council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

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 roll181Census January 2026
Places22381% full
Pupils from low-income families17%17% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support18%32 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%10 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.67 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)16%£41,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls92 / 89
White British pupils88%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (15), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), emotional and mental health (6), Specific learning difficulty (4), Hearing impairment (3), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll181175175174179156
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals17%18%15%19%17%19%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%2%3%4%4%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support22%23%20%27%25%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%5%2%1%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school8.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.3%4.8%5.1%6.0%2.6%3.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.1%3.3%3.3%4.7%1.9%2.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.4%1.9%1.3%0.7%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence8.2%9.7%11.7%15.0%6.8%7.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.34.60.60.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.0full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher22.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,446
Teachers who left in the year22%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.92024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,537England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£7,291England £7,697. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,106England £3,480
Money in reserve-1%In the red: -£16k, -£92 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£42kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,537spent 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 m2412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate55 per 1,000 people40% lower than the England average
Typical house price£165,000Gateshead
Nearest bus stop10 mWashingwell Community Primary School, 12 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
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, WhickhamAcademy690 m189Not inspected96Compare
Front Street Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles413Outstanding 202394Compare
Fellside Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles235Good 202288Compare
Swalwell Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles141Good 202312Compare
Whickham Parochial Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England0.9 miles210Good 202290Compare
Dunston Hill Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles362Good 202242Compare
Clover Hill Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles210Good 202292Compare
Lobley Hill Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles350Not inspected46Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Washingwell Community Primary School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats36%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 41 is 8 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 48 · highest 85100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 41 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 41% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 19 to 68. 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
-0.04
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 21 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 1.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.03
DfE progress measure; 21 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.07
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.06
2024/25; 147 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 21 pupils
What parents say0%no data

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 Washingwell Community Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Washingwell Community Primary School scores 41 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 19 to 68, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Washingwell Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Washingwell Community Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 5 November 2024.

How good are Washingwell Community Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 57% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Washingwell Community Primary School have?

181 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 223 places, so it is 81% full.

Is Washingwell Community Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 29 places were empty in 2024/25 (15% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Washingwell Community Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Washingwell Community Primary School?

The average class had 25.6 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
Bucks Hill View, Whickham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE16 4RB
Telephone
0191 488 4400
Website
www.washingwell.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Alison Hall
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Gateshead
Ward
Dunston Hill and Whickham East
Constituency
Gateshead Central and Whickham
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
108356 · LAESTAB 3902194 · UKPRN 10077329
Formerly
Marley Hill Community Primary School

Where these figures come from