New Penshaw Academy

About New Penshaw Academy

New Penshaw Academy sits squarely in the middle of the pack for primary schools in Sunderland, with 65% of its Year 6 pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined in the 2023/24 academic year. That figure is just two percentage points below the local authority average of 67%, placing the school 40th out of 73 primaries in the borough. While it doesn't break into the top tier, it's comfortably ahead of the bottom third nationally, ranking in the 45th percentile across England. The school's strongest showing is in reading, where 71% of pupils met the expected standard and 41% achieved the higher standard — a notably high proportion. Maths results are more mixed: 71% hit the expected mark but only 29% reached the higher threshold. No pupils achieved the higher standard in writing, and the combined higher percentage sits at zero, suggesting the school's focus is on securing solid foundations rather than pushing for top grades.

Ofsted inspectors last visited for a graded inspection in February 2019, when the school was rated Good overall, with Good marks for leadership, early years provision and behaviour. A subsequent ungraded inspection in June 2024 confirmed the school 'remains Good'. The early years provision, previously rated Good in 2015, was again judged Good in 2019. With just 138 pupils on roll against a capacity of 240, the school is significantly under-enrolled, yet it was oversubscribed for Reception places in 2025/26, receiving 31 applications for 16 places and making 11 offers to first-preference families. Nearly 44% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, and the school provides nursery provision for children from age three.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including music rooms, art studios, an ICT suite and a gymnasium, with sports such as cricket, netball, tennis and athletics on offer. Clubs include drama, gardening, eco club, choir, science club and coding. For pupils with additional needs, the school has identified provisions for moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. New Penshaw Academy will suit families looking for a solid, well-regarded local primary that performs in line with the Sunderland average, with strong reading outcomes and a supportive SEND framework, but where academic stretch at the highest level is less of a priority.

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