Kells Lane Primary School

Kells Lane Primary School has shown a strong performance overall, achieving a good rating across all key areas including the quality of education, personal development, and leadership. The school is particularly praised for its supportive environment where pupils feel happy and safe. Notable strengths include the effective teaching of reading and phonics, alongside a rich offering of extra-curricular activities that cater to diverse interests and enhance social development. The recent appointments of school leaders have brought positive changes and maintained high expectations for student achievement. However, the school is navigating the challenges of transitioning from an outstanding rating in its previous inspection 15 years ago, amidst notable changes in leadership and curriculum implementation.

Strengths

• Strong leadership with high expectations for academic and social achievement.
• Effective teaching of reading and phonics.
• Wide variety of extra-curricular clubs encouraging pupil responsibility.
• Caring and well-behaved students with effective behaviour management.
• Well-structured early years provision with a focus on vocabulary development.
• Strong support for vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND.

Areas for Improvement

• End-of-unit assessments are not precisely aligned with curriculum content.
• Some subject leaders lack clarity on planning and teaching in early years.

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 Kells Lane Primary School attended 97.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 1.4% 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, 0.2% of pupils at Kells Lane 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 Kells Lane Primary School had 24.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.8% 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, 7.3% of pupils at Kells Lane Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 Kells Lane Primary School received £6,156 and spent £6,217 for each of its 447 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £293,000 (£655 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 Gateshead · Gateshead local authority: places and applications

What is Kells Lane Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kells Lane Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2022.

When was Kells Lane Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Kells Lane Primary School was last inspected in September 2022.

How many pupils does Kells Lane Primary School have?

Kells Lane Primary School has 453 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kells Lane Primary School cover?

Kells Lane Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kells Lane Primary School?

Kells Lane Primary School is at Kells Lane, Low Fell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE9 5HX.