Welbeck Academy

Welbeck Academy is a large primary school within the WISE Academies trust, with a nursery and provision for 2-year-olds, serving a community with high levels of disadvantage. This full section 5 inspection found safeguarding to be met and most aspects of provision to be strong, while achievement was judged at the expected standard. Pupils are safe, polite and well behaved, and leaders have created a calm, inclusive and ambitious school culture. The school's notable strengths include exemplary behaviour, highly effective work to improve attendance, a well-designed curriculum, strong early years provision, highly inclusive support for pupils with SEND and other vulnerabilities, and effective leadership and governance. Personal development is rich, with a carefully planned PSHE curriculum and extensive enrichment, trips, clubs and career-related experiences. Disadvantaged pupils do especially well, and recent end of key stage 2 outcomes are close to national figures. The main area for further improvement is achievement. Although recent outcomes have improved, the latest three-year average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined remains below the national average. Leaders should further refine the rigorous implementation of the curriculum so that all pupils achieve as well as they can. Attendance has also been low in recent years and persistent absence has been above national averages, although leaders' relentless work is improving this.

Strengths

• Exemplary pupil behaviour in and around school
• Highly effective and innovative work to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence
• Well-designed, ambitious curriculum that builds knowledge and skills over time
• Expert teaching of early reading, writing and mathematics
• Strong early years provision with warm relationships and a well-sequenced curriculum
• Highly inclusive support for pupils with SEND and other vulnerabilities
• Prompt and targeted support for pupils who speak English as an additional language
• Effective use of pupil premium funding so disadvantaged pupils make strong progress
• Relentless leadership with strong governance and trust support
• Well-mapped personal development and PSHE curriculum
• Wide enrichment, trips, clubs and career and university experiences
• Pupils feel safe and are polite, courteous and ready to learn
• Staff are well supported through carefully connected training
• Safeguarding standards are met through an open and positive culture

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is the only area not yet at strong standard, with combined reading, writing and mathematics attainment below national over the latest three-year average
• Leaders should further refine curriculum implementation so that all pupils achieve as well as they can
• Attendance has been low in recent years and persistent absence has been above national, although improving

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 Welbeck Academy attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.7% 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 Welbeck 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 Welbeck Academy had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.2% 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, 22.7% of pupils at Welbeck Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 2024–25 Welbeck Academy received £8,365 and spent £8,429 for each of its 466 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £444,000 (£953 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Wise Academies, income was £8,327 and spending £8,361 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

Welbeck Academy is part of Wise Academies, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Town End Academy Sunderland
• Bexhill Academy Sunderland
• Ashley Academy South Shields
• North View Academy Sunderland
• Hasting Hill Academy Sunderland
• Croftway Academy Blyth
• Malvin's Close Academy Blyth
• Adderlane Academy Prudhoe
• Morpeth Road Academy Blyth
• Prudhoe West Academy Prudhoe

What is Welbeck Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Welbeck Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Welbeck Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Welbeck Academy was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Welbeck Academy have?

Welbeck Academy has 459 pupils on roll.

What age range does Welbeck Academy cover?

Welbeck Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Welbeck Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Welbeck Academy?

Welbeck Academy is at Flodden Street, Walker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE6 2QL.