Chopwell Primary School

Chopwell Primary School is performing strongly overall. Inspectors found a highly inclusive, caring school where pupils are polite, feel safe and benefit from an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum and highly effective teaching. Early years provision is a particular strength, with expert staff and a rich curriculum preparing children well for key stage 1, and personal development is excellent, including strong pastoral support, community projects and preparation for life in modern Britain. Safeguarding standards are met. The school serves a smaller-than-average primary community with a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and above-average location deprivation. Leadership has changed significantly since the last inspection, with the headteacher and an assistant headteacher appointed in 2024. Leaders are described as deeply knowledgeable, improvement-focused and supportive of staff, and governors provide robust challenge and support. Attendance has improved markedly through meticulous work with families, although overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages. The main area for further development is achievement. Pupils generally do well and are well prepared for their next steps, but their work is not consistently of high quality across subjects, which at times limits overall achievement. Leaders should ensure that curriculum improvements lead to consistently high-quality pupil work and that pupils achieve as highly as leaders expect. They should also sustain the recent improvements in attendance.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive provision with tailored support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable pupils.
• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum across a range of subjects.
• Highly effective teaching with precise support that helps pupils build on prior knowledge.
• Significant early years expertise and a detailed curriculum that prepares children well for key stage 1.
• Meticulous work to improve attendance, including imaginative transport solutions and strong parental engagement.
• Pupils are consistently polite, considerate and empathetic, with excellent behaviour and relationships.
• Excellent personal development offer, including rich community, heritage and career-related experiences.
• Effective pastoral support and a strong culture of respect and tolerance.
• Leaders at all levels have a deep understanding of the school and act swiftly on improvement.
• Staff feel valued and well supported, with high-quality professional development.
• Governors provide robust challenge and support and uphold their statutory duties.
• Strong engagement with parents and the local community.
• Pupils feel safe, and bullying is rare and dealt with swiftly.
• Pupils develop strong understanding of equality, diversity, online safety and life in modern Britain.
• Pupil premium funding is used wisely to improve attendance and achievement for disadvantaged pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' work is not consistently of high quality across subjects, which at times limits overall achievement.
• Curriculum improvements have not yet secured consistently high-quality pupil work and achievement as leaders expect.
• Attendance and persistent absence remain above national averages, so recent improvements need to be sustained.

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 Chopwell Primary School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.6% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Chopwell 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 Chopwell Primary School had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.8% 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, 16.4% of pupils at Chopwell Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 Chopwell Primary School received £7,800 and spent £7,961 for each of its 208 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £78,000 (£374 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 · Gateshead local authority: places and applications

What is Chopwell Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chopwell Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Chopwell Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chopwell Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Chopwell Primary School have?

Chopwell Primary School has 226 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chopwell Primary School cover?

Chopwell Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Chopwell Primary School?

Chopwell Primary School is at Derwent Street, Chopwell, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE17 7HS.