Grasmere Academy

About Grasmere Academy

Grasmere Academy, a state primary in North Tyneside, sits at the very bottom of the local authority rankings, placing 38th out of 38 schools of its type. Its headline Key Stage 2 metric — the percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths — stands at just 17%. That is a stark 45 percentage points below the North Tyneside average of 62%, a gap that makes the school an outlier in its borough. This is not a school that performs in line with its neighbours; it is one where the data suggests significant academic challenges. The school is small, with 96 pupils against a capacity of 145, and a very high proportion of pupils — 54.5% — are eligible for free school meals, which is a key contextual factor when interpreting these results.

A closer look at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results shows the difficulty is spread across all three core subjects. Only 26% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, 30% in maths, and just 17% in writing. The proportion achieving a higher standard in any subject was in single digits: 13% in reading, 9% in maths, and 9% in writing. The average scaled scores were 101 for reading and 100 for maths, both just a point above the national baseline of 100, but the low expected-standard percentages tell the real story. Ofsted, however, rated the school Good overall in its most recent inspection in December 2022, with Good marks across all categories including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. The previous inspection in 2017 also rated the school Good, so the rating has been consistent, even if the exam results are notably low.

The school offers a nursery for children aged two and up, and its facilities are decent for a small primary: a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, an outdoor playground, art studios, and a sensory room. It also has a dedicated SEN unit and provisions for moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health support. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed, with 10 applications for 7 places, though only 3 of those were first-preference applications. This suggests it may be a popular choice locally despite the academic data, likely for families who value its small size, inclusive SEN support, and nursery provision. For parents focused on strong academic outcomes, the neighbouring Bailey Green Primary School, rated Outstanding and just 0.3 km away, would be a more obvious alternative.

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