South Bank Community Primary School

South Bank Community Primary School is an inclusive and welcoming environment where pupils are happy and engaged in their learning. While the school has some strengths, such as good behaviour and positive personal development, it is rated as 'Requires Improvement' overall due to inconsistencies in the quality of education provided. Changes to the curriculum are ongoing, but some areas, particularly reading, have yet to fully develop and reflect the school's expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Positive and welcoming school environment
• High expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Good behaviour and minimal disruption to learning
• Strong community and supportive relationships
• Effective support for pupils' personal development
• Specialist social, emotional and mental health team
• Growing emphasis on reading in early years

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum areas are inconsistently developed
• Reading curriculum lacks clarity in essential knowledge
• Inconsistent use of assessment limits understanding of pupil progress
• Governance lacks thorough understanding of educational quality
• Teaching of British values is not effective enough

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 South Bank Community Primary School attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.4% 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, 1.7% of pupils at South Bank Community 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 South Bank Community Primary School had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.4% 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, 22.0% of pupils at South Bank Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 15.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 46 pupils.

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 South Bank Community Primary School received £10,384 and spent £11,094 for each of its 321 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £178,000 (£556 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 Middlesbrough · Redcar and Cleveland local authority: places and applications

What is South Bank Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for South Bank Community Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was South Bank Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

South Bank Community Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does South Bank Community Primary School have?

South Bank Community Primary School has 346 pupils on roll.

What age range does South Bank Community Primary School cover?

South Bank Community Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are South Bank Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 30% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is South Bank Community Primary School?

South Bank Community Primary School is at Poplar Grove, South Bank, Middlesbrough, TS6 6SY.