Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields)

Holy Trinity Church of England Academy is a welcoming, inclusive primary school where pupils are known well and feel safe. Inspectors found particularly strong practice in attendance and behaviour, early years, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils behave consistently well, attend well, and benefit from a broad curriculum and rich experiences. Early years children get off to a flying start, especially in communication, language and phonics, and disadvantaged pupils achieve well compared with national averages. The school has a much higher-than-average proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEN support, and it makes use of a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance are secure overall. Most pupils achieve in line with national averages, disadvantaged pupils perform above national averages, and pupils with SEND have their needs carefully assessed. Leaders have high aspirations, parents are overwhelmingly positive, and safeguarding standards are met. Governors and trustees know their roles and provide appropriate support and challenge. There are still areas to sharpen. Handwriting and pencil-grip teaching is not consistently maintained across key stage 1, and some improvement actions have not yet had full impact. The new curriculum, assessment approaches and handwriting teaching need further embedding so pupils build on prior knowledge and close gaps. Leaders also need to refine strategic oversight and analysis of inclusion, behaviour and safeguarding incidents, and staff need to refine curriculum adaptations further for pupils facing barriers to learning. Reading outcomes declined in 2024/25 and were below the national average, although leaders have taken action.

Strengths

• Pupils behave consistently well in lessons and at social times, including impressive lunch-hall conduct.
• Attendance is high, including for disadvantaged pupils, and leaders act quickly to remove barriers.
• Early years provision gives children a strong start through warm relationships and a challenging curriculum.
• Communication and language development is a priority, with timely support for children who need it.
• Personal development is well planned and tailored, including PSHE, safety and British values.
• Pupils access a wide range of visits, clubs and leadership roles that build confidence and responsibility.
• Most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve well and are ready for the next stage.
• Phonics and early reading are taught well, with books matched to the sounds pupils know.
• The mathematics curriculum has been improved, with frequent practice and opportunities to explain thinking.
• SEND and vulnerable pupils have needs identified early and support plans are carefully reviewed.
• Leaders have high aspirations, know the school's context and have taken significant improvement action.
• Staff receive evidence-informed professional development linked to school priorities.
• Governors and trustees know their roles, support and challenge leaders, and check staff workload and wellbeing.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive and relationships with families are warm.
• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.

Areas for Improvement

• Handwriting and pencil-grip teaching is not consistently maintained across key stage 1.
• Some improvement actions, including those for handwriting and pencil grip, have not yet had full impact.
• The new curriculum, assessment approaches and handwriting teaching need further embedding so pupils build on prior knowledge and close gaps.
• Strategic oversight of safeguarding, behaviour and support for vulnerable pupils needs further refinement.
• Leaders' strategic analysis of the impact of actions on inclusion, behaviour and safeguarding incidents needs development.
• Staff need to refine curriculum adaptations further for pupils facing barriers to learning.
• Reading outcomes declined in 2024/25 and were below the national average, although leaders have acted.

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 Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.2% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) had 25.4 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, 22.8% of pupils at Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.9% 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 Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) received £8,071 and spent £7,501 for each of its 227 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £390,000 (£1,722 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

What is Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields)'s Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) last inspected by Ofsted?

Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) have?

Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) has 228 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) cover?

Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields)'s SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields)?

Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) is at Brockley Avenue, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE34 0TS.