Seaburn Dene Primary School

About Seaburn Dene Primary School

Seaburn Dene Primary School sits just above the Sunderland local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with 68% of its pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 67%. That one-percentage-point gap is narrow, but it places the school in the top half of the 81 primary schools in the borough — ranked 31st overall. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available in the data, so it’s hard to say how much value it adds on top of prior attainment, but the raw attainment figures suggest a solid, if unflashy, academic profile. Where Seaburn Dene does stand out is in reading: 88% of pupils met the expected standard and 32% reached the higher standard, both well above the national picture implied by the LA average. Maths is also strong, with an average scaled score of 106 and 80% hitting the expected mark. The school is oversubscribed — 63 applications for 23 places in 2025/26 — which suggests local families see it as a reliable choice.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2023, Seaburn Dene was rated Good across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision all received a Grade 2. This is a consistent improvement on its previous inspection in 2014, where early years provision was also rated Good but the overall effectiveness was already Good. The school has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections, so there’s no history of volatility. At Key Stage 2, 8% of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined — a modest figure, but one that aligns with the school’s profile as a solidly performing primary rather than a high-attainment outlier. The school’s ranking in the North East region places it in the 39th percentile nationally, which is broadly in line with its local position.

Seaburn Dene is a smaller-than-average primary with 220 pupils against a capacity of 240, and it offers nursery provision for children from age three. The school has a Forest School, playing fields, a gymnasium, art studios, music rooms and a library — a decent range of facilities for a school of this size. Sports include gymnastics, football, cross country, swimming, netball and tennis, and there are clubs for coding, eco activities, book club and art. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is non-religious and mixed. With an oversubscription ratio of 2.74, it’s a popular choice for families in Sunderland who want a well-regarded, Good-rated primary with a broad curriculum and strong reading outcomes, without the pressure of a high-attainment environment.

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