Lemington Riverside Primary School

Lemington Riverside Primary School is a well-led and inclusive school that serves a community with a high proportion of pupils facing barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, including well-above-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND. Inclusion is a strong feature: leaders are relentless in their work to support all pupils, and pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are supported effectively, including through personalised provision such as 'The Bridge'. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils behave well, the school is calm and orderly, and attendance is improving, though it remains below the national average overall. The curriculum is ambitious and generally taught well, with strong phonics teaching and effective early years provision. Pupils generally achieve outcomes close to the national average over time, although there was a dip in attainment in 2025, particularly in mathematics and reading. Leaders have acted decisively to provide additional support, but there is further work to do to embed recent developments in teaching and the curriculum so that pupils secure basic skills consistently. Assessment in the wider curriculum needs refining, and handwriting and spelling are not yet consistently accurate. Leadership and governance are effective, with skilled governors and a positive staff culture. Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised, with an inclusive PSHE programme and a range of wider opportunities. However, the depth of pupils' understanding of some British values is mixed. The main next steps are to embed recent curriculum and teaching developments, improve assessment in the wider curriculum, and further improve attendance rates. Overall, the school is in a good position but has clear areas for development to ensure consistent achievement across all phases.

Strengths

• Leaders are relentless in their work on inclusion, ensuring pupils facing barriers feel they belong.
• Pupils with SEND are skilfully supported by well-trained staff, including through personalised provision in 'The Bridge'.
• Disadvantaged pupils, including looked after children, are supported well through effective partnerships and targeted funding.
• Pupils generally achieve outcomes close to the national average in reading, writing and mathematics over time.
• Staff have high expectations for behaviour; pupils conduct themselves well and the school is calm and orderly.
• Attendance is prioritised, with disadvantaged and SEND pupils' attendance close to the national average.
• The ambitious curriculum is generally taught well, supported by regular and effective staff training.
• Phonics is taught well, and the reading curriculum effectively develops fluency and accuracy.
• Early years provision provides a positive start, with strong communication and language development.
• Leaders have developed a positive culture for inclusion and are ambitious for all pupils.
• Governors are skilled and knowledgeable, providing appropriate challenge and support.
• Pupils' personal development and wellbeing is prioritised through an inclusive PSHE programme and wider opportunities.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and value support for their workload and wellbeing.
• Parents and carers are positive about the school and praise leaders' support for inclusion.

Areas for Improvement

• Attainment in key stage 2 dipped in 2025, with combined reading, writing and mathematics below the national average.
• Overall attendance remains below the national average, and persistent absence is high.
• Handwriting and spelling quality and accuracy are not yet consistent across the school.
• Assessment in the wider curriculum needs refining and consistent use to support pupils' progress.
• Teachers occasionally do not address misconceptions as quickly as they could.
• The depth of pupils' understanding of some British values, such as individual liberty, is mixed.
• Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap in mathematics and reading widened in 2025.
• Recent developments in teaching and the curriculum need embedding so pupils secure basic skills consistently.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Lemington Riverside Primary School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 2.4% of pupils at Lemington Riverside Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Lemington Riverside Primary School had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 39.4% of pupils at Lemington Riverside Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Lemington Riverside Primary School received £8,561 and spent £8,627 for each of its 216 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £97,000 (£451 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne · Newcastle upon Tyne local authority: places and applications

Lemington Riverside Primary School is part of West End Schools Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Broadwood Primary School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Bridgewater Primary School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Canning Street Primary School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Johns Primary School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Wingrove Primary School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Moorside Primary School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Hawthorn Primary School Newcastle Upon Tyne

What is Lemington Riverside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lemington Riverside Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Lemington Riverside Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lemington Riverside Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Lemington Riverside Primary School have?

Lemington Riverside Primary School has 216 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lemington Riverside Primary School cover?

Lemington Riverside Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Lemington Riverside Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lemington Riverside Primary School?

Lemington Riverside Primary School is at Rokeby Street, Lemington, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE15 8RR.