Bede Community Primary School

About Bede Community Primary School

Bede Community Primary School in Gateshead holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it maintained in its most recent ungraded inspection in October 2024, where inspectors confirmed that standards were being upheld. The school’s most telling academic metric comes from its Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year, where 50% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. This figure sits below the Gateshead local authority average of 64%, placing the school 53rd out of 61 primary schools in the borough. The school’s ranking in the bottom half of its local authority is a clear signal that while it provides a solid education, its core academic outcomes are not among the strongest in the area. That said, the school serves a community with high levels of disadvantage, with 47.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, a context that often depresses headline attainment figures.

Looking closer at the individual subject results, the picture is more nuanced. In reading, 77% of pupils reached the expected standard and the average scaled score was 105, while in maths 73% met the expected standard with an average score of 104. Writing saw 73% of pupils reach the expected standard. However, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in these subjects was notably lower: 31% in reading, 12% in maths and just 8% in writing. This suggests that while the majority of children are being guided to a solid baseline, fewer are being stretched to the top levels. The school’s previous Ofsted inspection in 2019 graded it Good overall, with leadership and management and early years provision both rated Good. In its earlier 2012 inspection, the school was rated Outstanding, so the current Good rating represents a step down from that historic high point.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 61 applications for 29 places and 28 first-preference offers, giving a ratio of 2.1 applicants per place. Facilities include a library, playing fields, gymnasium, ICT suite and a chapel, and the school offers a range of clubs including art, book club and choir, plus sports such as tennis, netball and football. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder and a resourced provision. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 100% of respondents would recommend the school, and 89% strongly agreed that their child is happy there. This school will particularly suit families who value a supportive, inclusive environment over top-tier academic rankings, especially those with children who may benefit from strong SEND support.

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