Plains Farm Academy

Plains Farm Academy is maintaining the good standards established during its previous inspection. The school fosters a nurturing and supportive environment where pupils thrive academically and personally. With a focus on high expectations, children embrace their learning with enthusiasm and respect for one another. The curriculum is well-structured, promoting both knowledge retention and a sense of community through diverse extracurricular activities and real-world experiences. The effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) further enhances the school's commitment to inclusive education.

Strengths

• Nurturing environment that fosters pupil well-being.
• Strong focus on high expectations and exemplary behavior.
• Well-structured and sequenced curriculum tailored to pupil needs.
• Exceptional support for pupils with SEND.
• Variety of extracurricular activities enhancing pupil engagement.
• Positive relationships between pupils and staff.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent application of knowledge retention strategies across the wider curriculum.

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 Plains Farm Academy attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.6% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Plains Farm 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 Plains Farm Academy had 20.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 25.0% of pupils at Plains Farm Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 Plains Farm Academy received £8,462 and spent £8,473 for each of its 174 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £46,000 (£265 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Inspire Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,763 and spending £7,626 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 Sunderland · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

Plains Farm Academy is part of Inspire Multi Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Farringdon Academy Sunderland
• New Penshaw Academy Houghton Le Spring
• Burnside Academy Inspires Houghton Le Spring
• Fatfield Academy Washington

What is Plains Farm Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Plains Farm Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Plains Farm Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Plains Farm Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Plains Farm Academy have?

Plains Farm Academy has 164 pupils on roll.

What age range does Plains Farm Academy cover?

Plains Farm Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Plains Farm Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Plains Farm Academy?

Plains Farm Academy is at Tudor Grove, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR3 1SU.