Washingwell Community Primary School

About Washingwell Community Primary School

Washingwell Community Primary School sits in the bottom half of Gateshead primary schools when it comes to the key headline measure of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2. The school’s score of 48 per cent on this metric places it 54th out of 61 schools in the local authority, well below the Gateshead average of 64 per cent. This is a significant gap, and it’s worth noting that the school’s ranking falls into the bottom 50 nationally as well. However, the picture is more nuanced than a single headline number. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024, the school was judged Good across every graded category, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The early years provision also earned a Good rating. This marks a consistent performance from the previous inspection in 2016, which also rated the school Good overall, though that earlier inspection had given early years a lower grade of Requires Improvement.

Looking beyond the headline, the school’s individual subject scores at Key Stage 2 tell a mixed story. In reading, 60 per cent of pupils met the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 104, and 28 per cent achieved the higher standard. In maths, 60 per cent met the expected standard with an average score of 103, and again 28 per cent reached the higher level. Writing saw 68 per cent of pupils reach the expected standard, but only 16 per cent hit the higher mark. The combined figure for reaching the expected standard in all three subjects was 48 per cent, which is the figure that drags the school down in the rankings. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available in the data, so it’s hard to say how much of the below-average result is down to pupil intake versus teaching. What is clear is that the school’s own internal data shows a decent proportion of pupils hitting the expected standard in individual subjects, but the combined measure is where it falls short of the local authority average.

Washingwell is a smaller-than-average primary, with 175 pupils on roll against a capacity of 223, and it has a nursery provision for children from age three. The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 50 applications for 21 places, with all 21 first-preference applicants offered a spot. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 18.6 per cent, which is slightly above the national average. The school offers a range of facilities including a Forest School, sensory room, library and chapel, and runs clubs such as chess, coding, science club, eco club and film club. Sports on offer include cross country, football, cricket, athletics and swimming. For SEND, the school lists support for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent feedback is very strong, with 94 per cent of respondents saying they would recommend the school, and large majorities strongly agreeing that their child is happy and feels safe. This is a school that clearly has a warm, supportive atmosphere, even if its academic outcomes in the combined measure are below the local average.

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