St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston

About St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston

St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston, is a small state primary in Gateshead with 151 pupils on roll, and it punches well above its weight in the local landscape. It ranks third out of 61 primary schools in the local authority, placing it in the top five per cent of schools in Gateshead. The three schools immediately ahead of it are St Mary & St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School in Blaydon, Clover Hill Community Primary School, and St Agnes’ Catholic Primary School in Crawcrook — all strong performers. The school is Roman Catholic in character and led by headteacher Sarah Williams. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in June 2024, confirmed that the school remains Good, a rating it has held consistently since at least its previous graded inspection in 2012. For families looking at Catholic primary options in the area, St Philip Neri sits among the strongest performers in the borough.

Academically, St Philip Neri delivers results that comfortably exceed the Gateshead average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 64 per cent. Every single pupil met the expected standard in maths, and 46 per cent achieved the higher standard in that subject. Reading scores were similarly strong, with 93 per cent at expected and 46 per cent at the higher level. Writing was slightly lower but still strong, with 89 per cent at expected and 21 per cent at the higher standard. The school’s average scaled scores — 109 in reading and 108 in maths — are both above the national benchmark of 100. Nationally, the school ranks 600th out of 13,686 primaries, putting it in the top five per cent of schools across the country. These figures suggest a consistent focus on core academic skills, particularly in maths and reading.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 49 applications for 23 places, with all 23 first-preference applicants offered a spot — an oversubscription ratio of 2.13. Facilities include an art studio, forest school, ICT suite, outdoor playground and a chapel, and the school runs clubs ranging from choir and drama to coding, chess and eco club. Sports on offer include swimming, athletics, cricket and rounders. The school has identified SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For Catholic families in Gateshead who want strong academic outcomes in a small, faith-based setting, St Philip Neri is a compelling choice — though securing a place will require a first-preference application. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Brighton Avenue Primary School, 1.4 km away, for those who also want to compare options.

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