Pentland Primary School

About Pentland Primary School

Pentland Primary School in Stockton-on-Tees was rated Good by Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in 2013, and a subsequent ungraded inspection in 2021 confirmed the school remains Good. The school has clearly improved since its previous graded inspection in 2011, when it was judged to require improvement overall. Looking at the most recent Key Stage 2 results from the 2023/24 academic year, 45% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. This is significantly below the local authority average of 66% and places Pentland 50th out of 55 primary schools in Stockton-on-Tees, putting it in the bottom half of the league table. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 14% of all primary schools on this combined measure. The picture is mixed across individual subjects: 63% reached the expected standard in reading, 60% in maths, and 55% in writing, with average scaled scores of 102 in both reading and maths.

The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in any subject is low — just 10% in reading, 8% in maths, and 5% in writing — and no pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. The school has a relatively high percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals at 38.6%, which is worth considering when interpreting these outcomes. Pentland does not have a sixth form, as it is a primary school for children aged 2 to 11, and it does offer nursery provision. The school has a capacity of 363 but currently has 254 pupils on roll, meaning there is some spare capacity. However, for the 2025/26 academic year, the school was oversubscribed: it received 30 applications for 21 places, with all 21 first-preference applicants offered a place, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.43.

Facilities include an art studio, library, sensory room, ICT suite, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, tennis, gymnastics, athletics, rounders and cross country, while clubs range from choir and gardening to chess, science club, film club and eco club. The school has a strong SEND provision, with support for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. It also has a SEN unit and resourced provision. For families prioritising strong academic outcomes, the local context shows that the nearest Outstanding-rated school is Billingham South Community Primary School, 0.9 km away. Pentland is best suited to families who value its broad range of clubs and SEND support, and who are comfortable with a school where academic results are below the local average but where the school has been judged to be on an improving trajectory by Ofsted.

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