Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay

About Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay

Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School in Whitley Bay posts a KS2 expected standard in reading, writing and maths of 63%, which sits just one point above the North Tyneside local authority average of 62%. That marginal edge places it in the middle of the pack for the area — ranked 22nd out of 38 primary schools in the borough, and in the 49th percentile nationally. The school’s reading and writing scores are notably stronger than its maths: 84% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in writing, compared with 73% in maths. At the higher standard, reading again leads at 24%, while maths and writing both sit at 12%. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard across all three subjects is just 2%, which is low. With 21.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a slightly above-average proportion of disadvantaged children for the area, and its results suggest solid, if not spectacular, academic performance relative to its peers.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2014, Ofsted rated the school Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management and for overall effectiveness. An ungraded inspection in May 2024 confirmed that the school remains Good, and the previous inspection in 2009 also rated it Good, so the school has held a consistent Good rating across all three inspections. The early years provision was graded as Requires Improvement in 2009, but that judgement is now well over a decade old. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, so it is not possible to measure how much value the school adds beyond raw attainment. The average KS2 reading score is 105 and the average maths score is 103, both slightly above the national average of 100, which aligns with the school’s overall picture of performing a little above the local norm without breaking into the top tier.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 it received 53 applications for 31 places, with all 30 first-preference applicants offered a place. That 1.71 oversubscription ratio reflects its popularity among local Catholic families. Facilities include a chapel, a forest school area, a sensory room, a sports hall, playing fields and a library. The school offers a wide range of clubs — art, chess, coding, gardening, choir and eco club — and sports including swimming, cricket, rounders, gymnastics, dance and athletics. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school has nursery provision for children from age three. This is a good fit for Catholic families in Whitley Bay who want a faith-based primary with consistent Ofsted ratings, a broad extracurricular offer, and a strong chance of securing a place if they apply as a first preference.

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