Holley Park Academy

Holley Park Academy maintains its status as a good school, showcasing a positive learning environment where pupils are happy, polite, and considerate. The leadership team, including the new headteacher, has implemented a well-crafted curriculum that supports all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school excels in phonics teaching, enabling pupils to become fluent readers, and promotes positive behaviour, ensuring a safe atmosphere for learning. The active engagement of pupils in school responsibilities and their pride in their achievements are notable strengths of the school.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate exemplary manners and a strong sense of community.
• The curriculum is effectively tailored to meet the needs of all pupils.
• Phonics teaching is delivered effectively, resulting in excellent reading fluency.
• Attendance rates are above the national average.
• Pupils actively participate in school leadership and initiatives.

Areas for Improvement

• Historically, the mathematics curriculum has not encompassed a full range of mathematical concepts.

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 Holley Park Academy attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.6% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Holley Park 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 Holley Park Academy had 20.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.8% 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, 7.4% of pupils at Holley Park Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% 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 Holley Park Academy received £6,750 and spent £6,847 for each of its 224 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £199,000 (£886 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Northern Lights Learning Trust, income was £8,188 and spending £8,299 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 Washington · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

Holley Park Academy is part of Northern Lights Learning Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy Sunderland
• Venerable Bede Church of England Academy Sunderland
• Dame Dorothy Primary School Sunderland
• Hart Primary School Hartlepool
• St Peter's Elwick Church of England Primary School Hartlepool
• St Helen's Primary School Hartlepool
• Grange Primary School Hartlepool
• Tilery Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Ian Ramsey Church of England Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• St Aidan's Church of England Academy Darlington

What is Holley Park Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holley Park Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Holley Park Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Holley Park Academy was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Holley Park Academy have?

Holley Park Academy has 204 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holley Park Academy cover?

Holley Park Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Holley Park Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holley Park Academy?

Holley Park Academy is at Ayton Road, Oxclose, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 0LR.