Wessington Primary School

Wessington Primary School continues to demonstrate a strong performance, maintaining its status as a good school. Pupils feel safe and happy, and they benefit from positive relationships with staff, which fosters a nurturing environment. The school excels in supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ensuring they are well integrated into the curriculum. While persistent absence is noted as a concern, leaders are actively working to improve this area. Overall, the school promotes a sense of community and high expectations for all students.

Strengths

• Positive relationships between adults and pupils
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• High expectations for pupil achievement
• Strong focus on communication and language in early years
• Well-planned mathematics and reading curriculum
• Engaged and supportive staff and leadership
• Broad and balanced curriculum tailored to pupils' needs

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence rates higher than the national average
• Recent foundation subject curriculums have not yet been fully evaluated for effectiveness

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 Wessington Primary School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.3% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Wessington 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 Wessington Primary School had 19.0 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, 28.0% of pupils at Wessington Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.4% 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 Wessington Primary School received £10,248 and spent £10,055 for each of its 206 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £22,000 (-£109 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 Washington · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

What is Wessington Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wessington Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Wessington Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wessington Primary School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Wessington Primary School have?

Wessington Primary School has 218 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wessington Primary School cover?

Wessington Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 23% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wessington Primary School?

Wessington Primary School is at Lanercost, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 7PY.