Atkinson Road Primary Academy

Atkinson Road Primary Academy is performing well overall, with overall effectiveness rated as good. The school is characterized by a warm and inclusive environment, where pupils feel valued and supported. It has a rigorous curriculum that encourages personal development, which is rated as outstanding. The leadership exhibits high aspirations for all students, despite some challenges related to pupil mobility and varying levels of preparedness among new students with different backgrounds, particularly those with English as an additional language. The school works diligently to adapt its curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Highly inclusive environment that embraces diversity.
• Pupils develop strong relationships and behave well.
• Excellent provision for pupils with special educational needs.
• Outstanding personal development opportunities.
• Rich and well-planned curriculum across various subjects.
• Strong emphasis on early reading and phonics.
• Effective safeguarding measures and support systems.
• Active engagement of parents in school events.

Areas for Improvement

• Published outcomes do not fully reflect the school's quality of education.
• Inconsistent checks on prior knowledge across all subjects.
• Mathematics teaching needs further emphasis on recall and application of knowledge.

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 Atkinson Road Primary Academy attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.8% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Atkinson Road Primary Academy 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 Atkinson Road Primary Academy had 16.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.2% 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, 22.8% of pupils at Atkinson Road Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 2024–25 Atkinson Road Primary Academy received £9,535 and spent £9,417 for each of its 386 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £775,000 (£2,007 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of The Laidlaw Schools Trust, income was £9,582 and spending £9,338 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne · Newcastle upon Tyne local authority: places and applications

Atkinson Road Primary Academy is part of The Laidlaw Schools Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Excelsior Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Westgate Hill Primary Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Thomas Walling Primary Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Oxclose Primary Academy Washington
• Oxclose Community Academy Washington
• South Hylton Primary Academy Sunderland
• Academy 360 Sunderland
• Sedgefield Hardwick Primary Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• Sedgefield Community College Stockton-On-Tees

What is Atkinson Road Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Atkinson Road Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Atkinson Road Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Atkinson Road Primary Academy was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Atkinson Road Primary Academy have?

Atkinson Road Primary Academy has 395 pupils on roll.

What age range does Atkinson Road Primary Academy cover?

Atkinson Road Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Atkinson Road Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Atkinson Road Primary Academy?

Atkinson Road Primary Academy is at Atkinson Road, Benwell, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE4 8XT.