Plains Farm Academy

About Plains Farm Academy

Plains Farm Academy is a primary school in Sunderland that parents clearly have confidence in. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 19 applications for its 16 places, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.19 applicants per place. All 16 first-preference families were offered a spot, which suggests that for those who put it top of their list, the school is a realistic choice rather than a long shot. The school is led by headteacher Lesley Cassidy and serves 176 pupils, well below its capacity of 240, so there is room for growth. In its most recent ungraded inspection in December 2024, Ofsted confirmed that standards are being maintained, and the school continues to hold a Good rating overall. The early years provision was judged Outstanding in the last graded inspection, which is a strong signal for families with younger children considering the nursery provision on site.

Academically, Plains Farm Academy performs broadly in line with the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 68% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, just above the Sunderland local authority average of 67%. This places the school 31st out of 73 primary schools in the area, putting it in the top half locally and in the top 50% nationally. The average reading score was 104 and maths 103, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. However, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in all three subjects was just 7%, and in maths and reading individually it was 18%, so the school is stronger at getting children to the expected level than stretching them to the top. Compared with its previous inspection in 2012, when the school was rated Inadequate, the improvement to Good is significant and sustained.

The school offers a practical, well-equipped environment with facilities including a dining hall, playing fields, gymnasium, ICT suite, forest school and even a chapel. Sports on offer include football, cross country, tennis and cricket, and there are clubs for art, book club and drama. For families with children who have additional needs, the school’s SEND provision is notably comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. This breadth of support makes Plains Farm a particularly inclusive option within Sunderland. The school is a state-funded primary for mixed genders aged 3 to 11, with no religious character, and it does not have a sixth form. It suits families who want a solid, improving local school with strong early years provision and a wide-ranging SEND offer, rather than one focused on high attainment at the top end.

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