St Marys Catholic Primary School, Forest Hall

About St Marys Catholic Primary School, Forest Hall

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Forest Hall, is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary in North Tyneside, one of 53 schools of its type in the local authority. It ranks 12th in the LA, placing it comfortably in the top third, and sits within the top 25% of primaries nationally. Its nearest outstanding-rated neighbour is Benton Dene Primary School, 1.1 km away, while the top-performing peers in the LA include Cullercoats Primary School, New York Primary School, and St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Cullercoats — all of which score slightly higher on the ranking metric. With 194 pupils on a capacity of 210, the school is not yet full, but demand is strong: for 2025/26 entry, there were 70 applications for 30 places, 34 of them as first preferences, and 29 first-preference offers were made. That oversubscription ratio of 2.33 tells you this is a popular choice locally, particularly for Catholic families in the Forest Hall area.

Academically, St Mary’s performs well above the North Tyneside average. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 73% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 62%. Reading was a particular strength: 90% met the expected standard and 43% achieved a higher score, with an average scaled score of 107. Maths followed closely, with 77% at expected and an average score of 104. Writing saw 87% at expected and 23% at the higher level. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2025, confirmed that standards are maintained, and the overall effectiveness remains Good. Leadership and management were also rated Good. That’s a clear improvement from the school’s previous graded inspection in 2013, when it was judged to require improvement. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 97% of respondents would recommend the school, and 81% strongly agreed that their child is happy there.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, sports hall, chapel, and a Forest School area, which supports outdoor learning. Sports provision covers football, netball, cricket, rounders, gymnastics, cross country and swimming, while clubs include choir, coding, art, eco, film and book club. SEND support is listed for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, social and emotional mental health needs, and physical disability — though the Parent View data shows no responses to the SEND-specific question, so it’s hard to gauge how families feel about that provision in practice. With a below-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (13.4%), the school serves a relatively advantaged intake. St Mary’s is best suited to Catholic families seeking a faith-based primary with strong academic outcomes and a wide extracurricular offer, though its oversubscription means early application is essential.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About St Marys Catholic Primary School, Forest Hall

Helpful Guides for Parents