Ridgeway Primary Academy

Ridgeway Primary Academy demonstrates a strong overall performance with notable strengths in safeguarding, personal development, and support for pupils with special educational needs. The school has effectively cultivated a safe and inclusive environment where pupils feel secure and are encouraged to thrive. Although leaders have instilled a positive culture, there are significant challenges in ensuring consistent academic achievement across all subjects, particularly reading and handwriting skills. Despite efforts from the leadership team to address these issues, many pupils still encounter gaps in essential knowledge and skills necessary for their future education.

Strengths

• Effective safeguarding measures ensure pupils feel safe and supported.
• A well-designed early years curriculum promotes love for learning and effective interaction.
• Strong support for pupils with SEND from knowledgeable staff.
• Comprehensive personal development programme enhances pupils' teamwork and communication skills.
• Positive behaviour management fosters a calm and orderly learning environment.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils are not adequately prepared for the next stage of education due to gaps in foundational knowledge.
• Inconsistent attainment and progress across subjects, especially in reading and handwriting.
• Curriculum not consistently taught effectively, leading to missed learning opportunities.
• Leaders have not focused consistently on the right areas for improvement.

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 Ridgeway Primary Academy attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.5% 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, 2.2% of pupils at Ridgeway 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 Ridgeway Primary Academy had 20.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.4% 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, 31.2% of pupils at Ridgeway Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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 Ridgeway Primary Academy received £8,320 and spent £8,466 for each of its 440 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £183,000 (£416 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Tyne Coast Academy Trust, income was £9,114 and spending £9,201 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 South Shields · South Tyneside local authority: places and applications

Ridgeway Primary Academy is part of Tyne Coast Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Monkwearmouth Academy Sunderland
• Redby Academy Sunderland
• Walker Riverside Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• North East Futures UTC Newcastle Upon Tyne

What is Ridgeway Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ridgeway Primary Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Ridgeway Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ridgeway Primary Academy was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Ridgeway Primary Academy have?

Ridgeway Primary Academy has 452 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ridgeway Primary Academy cover?

Ridgeway Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ridgeway Primary Academy?

Ridgeway Primary Academy is at Park Avenue, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE34 8AB.