Percy Main Primary School

Percy Main Primary School is a warm, inclusive school where relationships and pupil wellbeing are central. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and strong practice in attendance, behaviour and inclusion. Pupils behave consistently well, attend in line with national averages, and pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are supported effectively. The school also has an additionally resourced provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, which is carefully designed and helps pupils thrive. Early years gives children a positive start, with communication and language work in the 2- and 3-year-old provision a particular strength. Leaders have improved the curriculum and achievement over recent years, and most pupils make secure progress from their starting points. Phonics outcomes are above national averages, mathematics is improving quickly, and key stage 2 outcomes are closer to national averages. However, some key stage 2 pupils still have gaps in basic knowledge and skills that have not been closed quickly enough. Writing teaching is not consistently precise enough about spelling, capital letters, letter formation and pencil grip, and the wider foundation curriculum is taught with variable frequency and effectiveness, particularly in French and religious education. Leadership checks on curriculum implementation are inconsistent, and improvement has sometimes been too slow. Personal development is appropriate, and pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment and safety education. Even so, pupils' understanding of different faiths and their knowledge of fundamental British values and cultures are limited. Overall, this is a school with strong pastoral care, inclusion and behaviour, but it needs to sharpen teaching consistency, curriculum implementation and quality assurance so that all pupils secure the knowledge and skills they need. The school serves a disadvantaged community with high proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding
• Highly welcoming and inclusive culture, especially for pupils with SEND
• Strong standards in attendance and behaviour
• Pupils behave consistently well, including notably impressive lunch hall behaviour
• Effective support for pupils with SEND, including complex needs and the additionally resourced provision
• Well-coordinated support for disadvantaged pupils and those known to children's social care
• Consistently effective phonics teaching and strong phonics screening outcomes
• Improving mathematics achievement across the school
• Most pupils make secure progress from their individual starting points
• Early years provides a nurturing start, with particularly strong communication and language development in the 2- and 3-year-old provision
• Staff skilfully adapt teaching and resources so pupils with SEND participate fully
• Governors are knowledgeable, provide appropriate support and challenge, and check workload and wellbeing
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school
• A broad range of enrichment opportunities, including trips, residentials and after-school clubs
• Pupils are polite, respectful, confident and articulate
• Leaders have improved curriculum ambition and sequencing in English and mathematics
• Pupils learn how to keep safe in the local community and online
• Pupils demonstrate tolerance and respect consistently

Areas for Improvement

• Some key stage 2 pupils still have gaps in basic knowledge and skills that staff have not closed quickly enough
• Teaching of writing does not consistently check spelling, capital letters, letter formation or pencil grip, affecting legibility and independent checking
• Implementation of the newly designed foundation curriculum is uneven, with some subjects such as French and religious education taught too infrequently or ineffectively
• Pupils' recall in some wider curriculum subjects is hindered by inconsistent teaching
• Leadership curriculum checks are inconsistent, so gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills are not closing quickly enough
• Improvement pace has sometimes been too slow, and some areas from the previous inspection remain unresolved
• Pupils have limited understanding of different faiths
• Pupils' knowledge of fundamental British values, different faiths and cultures is not deep or secure enough across PSHE
• Overall attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 remains below national averages, particularly in mathematics
• Disadvantaged pupils' mathematics attainment and the disadvantage gap remain a concern

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 Percy Main Primary School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Percy Main Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 Percy Main Primary School had 16.5 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, 29.8% of pupils at Percy Main Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.2% 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 Percy Main Primary School received £9,660 and spent £9,229 for each of its 185 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £228,000 (£1,234 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 North Shields · North Tyneside local authority: places and applications

What is Percy Main Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Percy Main Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Percy Main Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Percy Main Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Percy Main Primary School have?

Percy Main Primary School has 205 pupils on roll.

What age range does Percy Main Primary School cover?

Percy Main Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Percy Main Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Percy Main Primary School?

Percy Main Primary School is at Nelson Terrace, Percy Main, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE29 6JA.