St Paul's CofE Primary School

St Paul's CofE Primary School continues to sustain the high standards achieved during its last inspection, reflecting a nurturing and inclusive environment where pupils excel academically and personally. The school boasts a broad and engaging curriculum that captivates students' interests, from local history to subjects like geography and mathematics. Pupils engage actively with their learning and demonstrate impressive behavior and conduct, indicating a strong commitment to the school's values of forgiveness, love, and respect. The effective support for students with special educational needs and disabilities ensures they also achieve well in this stimulating setting.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy learning and thrive in an inclusive environment.
• High expectations for student achievement.
• Effective teaching of early reading and mathematics.
• Strong foundations in literacy and numeracy.
• Wide range of enrichment opportunities available.
• Pupils demonstrate high standards of behavior.
• School effectively nurtures personal development and social skills.
• Governors actively support and monitor school standards.

Areas for Improvement

• In a minority of subjects, work does not consistently focus on essential knowledge needed by pupils.

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 St Paul's CofE Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.2% 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, 0.6% of pupils at St Paul's CofE 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 St Paul's CofE Primary School had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.1% 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, 23.5% of pupils at St Paul's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 St Paul's CofE Primary School received £7,132 and spent £6,537 for each of its 327 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £309,000 (£947 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

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What is St Paul's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Paul's CofE Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was St Paul's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Paul's CofE Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does St Paul's CofE Primary School have?

St Paul's CofE Primary School has 332 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Paul's CofE Primary School cover?

St Paul's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Paul's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Paul's CofE Primary School?

St Paul's CofE Primary School is at Waterworks Road, Ryhope, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR2 0LW.