Grangetown Primary School

Grangetown Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school. The inspection highlighted a strong sense of community, with pupils feeling happy, safe, and well cared for. Notable strengths include the effective teaching of phonics and reading, engaging curriculum, and a positive behavior culture among students. Although there are strengths in safeguarding and support for pupils with special educational needs, the school faces challenges in ensuring teachers consistently address students' misunderstandings in their work. Leaders have been proactive in creating an ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of its community, and the school has made significant strides since its last inspection in 2017.

Strengths

• Strong sense of community and positive pupil well-being
• Engaging curriculum tailored to community needs
• Effective phonics and reading program
• Skilful use of resources to support mathematics learning
• Strong provision for pupils with special educational needs
• Active pupil participation in school events and leadership opportunities
• Supportive culture for teacher professional development

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent identification of misunderstandings in pupils' work
• Some subject leaders lack understanding of the early years curriculum

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 Grangetown Primary School attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.1% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Grangetown Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Grangetown Primary School had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.2% 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, 22.5% of pupils at Grangetown Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.3% 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 Grangetown Primary School received £8,227 and spent £7,961 for each of its 275 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £548,000 (£1,996 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).

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What is Grangetown Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Grangetown Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Grangetown Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Grangetown Primary School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Grangetown Primary School have?

Grangetown Primary School has 302 pupils on roll.

What age range does Grangetown Primary School cover?

Grangetown Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Grangetown Primary School?

Grangetown Primary School is at Spelter Works Road, Grangetown, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR2 8PX.