Dubmire Primary

Dubmire Primary is a community-focused school where pupils are happy, safe and extremely well behaved. Inspectors found a highly ambitious curriculum, strong teaching and highly effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils achieve well over time, read fluently and confidently, and benefit from a wide range of enrichment, careers and leadership opportunities. Leadership, staff development and governance are strong, and safeguarding is effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains part of the Aim High Academy Trust. There are two clear areas for improvement. In the early years, adult interactions are not consistently of the same high quality as elsewhere, and some opportunities to build children’s vocabulary through play are missed. In personal development, some pupils do not yet have a secure understanding of fundamental British values, particularly tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. Overall, the school is performing very strongly, with these focused points tempering an otherwise impressive picture.

Strengths

• An ambitious, well-designed curriculum with clear progression and extensive enrichment.
• Pupils achieve very well and recall prior learning in detail.
• Pupils show extremely positive attitudes and are exceptionally well behaved.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported highly effectively in class.
• Reading and phonics are taught consistently well, helping pupils become fluent readers.
• Early years children develop confidence, resilience and independence.
• Pupils benefit from strong personal development, careers exposure and extra-curricular activities.
• Staff receive highly effective training and leaders are considerate of workload and well-being.
• Governors and trustees provide effective support and challenge to school leaders.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The school is central to its community and parents speak highly of the support provided.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years adult interactions are inconsistent, with missed opportunities to develop rich vocabulary during play.
• Some children do not develop their knowledge of everyday words rapidly enough.
• Some pupils do not have a secure understanding of fundamental British values, particularly religious tolerance.

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 Dubmire Primary attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.0% 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 Dubmire Primary 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 Dubmire Primary had 23.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.7% 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, 15.4% of pupils at Dubmire Primary were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Dubmire Primary received £6,607 and spent £6,025 for each of its 457 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £464,000 (£1,016 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Aim High Academy Trust, income was £6,653 and spending £6,045 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 Houghton Le Spring · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

Dubmire Primary is part of Aim High Academy Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Newbottle Primary Academy Houghton Le Spring
• Gillas Lane Primary Academy Houghton Le Spring

What is Dubmire Primary's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dubmire Primary is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Dubmire Primary last inspected by Ofsted?

Dubmire Primary was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Dubmire Primary have?

Dubmire Primary has 479 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dubmire Primary cover?

Dubmire Primary for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Dubmire Primary's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dubmire Primary?

Dubmire Primary is at Britannia Terrace, Fence Houses, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 6HL.