Oxclose Primary Academy

Oxclose Primary Academy is performing securely overall. Early years and inclusion are particular strengths: children get a positive start, staff identify needs quickly, and pupils with SEND, including those in the additional resourced provision, are well supported to learn alongside their peers. The school has a highly inclusive culture and strong pastoral and enrichment provision, and safeguarding standards are met. Most other areas are at the expected standard. Pupils generally achieve well from their starting points, behaviour is good, attendance is close to national averages, and leadership and governance are effective. The school is part of Laidlaw Schools Trust and serves a pupil population with high levels of disadvantage and SEND, which is important context for its work. There are still areas to improve. A small number of pupils do not attend often enough, and leaders need to embed recent work on attendance and persistent absence. Teaching is not yet consistently high enough for all pupils to secure detailed knowledge and attain as well as they could, including in PSHE. Some pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values and world faiths is not as deep as it could be, and leaders are developing better checks on this.

Strengths

• Early years provision gives children a positive start and strong foundations for Year 1.
• Inclusion is a distinct strength, with precise support for pupils facing barriers to learning and wellbeing.
• Pupils with SEND follow ambitious pathways and many thrive alongside their peers, including in the additional resourced provision.
• Leaders have a well-formed strategy for disadvantaged pupils, reflected in improved phonics outcomes.
• Behaviour is good, routines are calm and orderly, and bullying is rare.
• The curriculum is ambitious, clearly designed and well taught, with a sharp focus on basic skills and phonics.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with high expectations, robust challenge and strong staff training.
• Personal development is a priority, with a broad enrichment offer, trips and targeted pastoral support.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• A small number of pupils do not attend school often enough, and persistent and severe absence need further improvement.
• Teaching is not yet consistently high quality enough for all pupils to cement and move on in their learning as quickly as they could.
• Some pupils could attain more highly, and attainment overall remains below national averages in some measures.
• Some pupils’ knowledge, including in PSHE, is not as deep as it could be.
• Pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values and world faiths is not consistently deep, and leaders are still developing robust checks.
• Recent support for pupils facing barriers to regular attendance needs to be embedded.

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 Oxclose Primary Academy attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.7% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Oxclose 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 Oxclose Primary Academy had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.5% 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, 21.9% of pupils at Oxclose Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 10.4% 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 Oxclose Primary Academy received £9,783 and spent £9,508 for each of its 184 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £354,000 (£1,924 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 Washington · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

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

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

What is Oxclose Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Oxclose Primary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Oxclose Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Oxclose Primary Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Oxclose Primary Academy have?

Oxclose Primary Academy has 183 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oxclose Primary Academy cover?

Oxclose Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Oxclose Primary Academy?

Oxclose Primary Academy is at Brancepeth Road, Oxclose, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 0LA.