Monkton Infants' School
81%
Capacity
146
Pupils
1.4x
Demand
About Monkton Infants' School
Monkton Infants' School is a popular choice among local families, with 42 first-preference applications received for 42 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, meaning every family who put it first got a spot. The school was oversubscribed overall, with 61 applications for those 42 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.45. While the school does not publish a parent recommendation percentage, the strong first-preference take-up suggests solid local confidence. Headteacher Clare Askwith leads a small, mixed-gender state primary for children aged 2 to 7, with 146 pupils on roll against a capacity of 180. The school serves a community with high levels of disadvantage — 62.4 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals — and offers a nursery provision for the youngest children.
In its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024, the school was rated Good across all graded categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The previous inspection, in 2010, also rated overall effectiveness as Good, with leadership and management and early years provision both scoring 2 on the old scale. The school does not publish Key Stage 2 results because its pupils move on to junior school at age 7, so there are no SATs scores to compare with the local authority average of 64 per cent. The nearest Outstanding-rated school in the same local authority is Biddick Hall Junior School, 0.5 km away, but Monkton Infants' own Good rating and consistent inspection record provide a stable foundation for early years education.
The school offers a broad range of facilities for such a small setting, including a sensory room, gymnasium, ICT suite, music rooms, library, chapel, and outdoor playground with playing fields. Sports provision covers cricket, swimming, netball, dance, rounders, football, and athletics, while after-school clubs include film, eco, gardening, book, science, and art clubs. SEND support is available for social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This combination of specialist facilities and targeted support makes the school well-suited to families seeking a nurturing early-years environment with strong pastoral care, particularly those living within the South Tyneside catchment area who value a small, community-focused infant school with a clear record of Good provision.
Key Details
| School Type | Primary (State) |
| Age Range | 2 to 7 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Does not apply |
| Address | St Simon Street, South Shields, South Tyneside, NE34 9SD |
| Headteacher | Clare Askwith |
| Local Authority | South Tyneside |
| Number of Pupils | 146 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 62.4% |
| School Capacity | 146 / 180 (81% full) |
| Nursery Classes | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
8 Oct 2024Quality of Education
Good
Since Sep 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 20 Nov 2024. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
8Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
13Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed42
61
Balanced
Applications roughly match available places
42 families put this school as their 1st choice (69% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/25Better than half of schools in England.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Among the highest-disadvantage schools.
Below most schools — predominantly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British95.2%
- Mixed2.1%
- White (other)0.7%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
9
Total schools
7
Oversubscribed
9
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
Frequently Asked Questions About Monkton Infants' School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
How to Choose a Primary School
Step-by-step guide to choosing the right primary school
KS2 SATs Explained
A parent's guide to Year 6 SATs and how results are reported
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Contact Information
St Simon Street, South Shields
South Tyneside, NE34 9SD
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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