Hetton Lyons Primary School

Hetton Lyons Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils thrive. Inspectors found personal development and wellbeing to be a significant strength, backed by exceptionally well-planned pastoral care, a broad enrichment offer and strong work to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Behaviour is calm and respectful, attendance is improving and broadly in line with national averages, and pupils with SEND, including those in The Den resourced provision, are well supported. The curriculum is ambitious and coherently sequenced, phonics teaching is skilful, and early years provision gives children strong foundations. Disadvantaged pupils achieve well overall, and leadership and governance are effective, with high expectations and strong support and challenge from governors. The school has been through significant leadership change since the last inspection, with two deputy headteachers now joint acting heads, and it is part of Balmoral Learning Trust. There are nonetheless areas to improve. Assessment practice is not yet consistent: some teachers do not make the checks needed to identify gaps and adapt teaching. Too few pupils reached the higher standard in reading in 2025, and progress in writing for some pupils could be better. Leaders are addressing these issues, and the next step focuses on strengthening teachers' use of assessment.

Strengths

• Personal development and wellbeing are a significant strength, with a carefully designed curriculum matched to pupils' needs.
• Pastoral care is exceptionally well planned, including graduated nurture and effective external referrals.
• Pupils are articulate, respectful and reflective when discussing diversity, fairness and difference.
• Inclusion is at the heart of the school's work, with prompt identification of needs and effective support.
• Pupils' behaviour is calm and respectful, with rare disruption and effective support for emotional regulation.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national averages and improving through meticulous analysis and family work.
• The curriculum is ambitious, broad and coherently sequenced across subjects.
• Phonics teaching is skilful, helping younger pupils read accurately and fluently.
• Early years provision builds strong foundations, including a renewed focus on handwriting and motor skills.
• Governors provide effective support and challenge and fulfil their statutory duties.
• Staff feel valued and supported through professional development aligned to school priorities.
• The specially resourced provision for pupils with autism and alternative provision arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment practice is inconsistent; some teachers do not make the necessary checks to adapt teaching and address gaps.
• Too few pupils reached the higher standard in reading in 2025.
• Progress in writing for some pupils could be better.

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 Hetton Lyons Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.5% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Hetton Lyons Primary School 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 Hetton Lyons Primary School had 20.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.1% 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, 18.8% of pupils at Hetton Lyons Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% 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 Hetton Lyons Primary School received £6,578 and spent £6,509 for each of its 428 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £600,000 (£1,401 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Tyne and Wear Learning Trust, income was £6,359 and spending £6,470 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

Hetton Lyons Primary School is part of Tyne and Wear Learning Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• East Herrington Primary Academy Sunderland
• Barnwell Academy Houghton Le Spring
• Whitburn Village Primary School Sunderland
• Dunn Street Primary School Jarrow
• Marine Park Primary School South Shields

What is Hetton Lyons Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hetton Lyons Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Hetton Lyons Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hetton Lyons Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Hetton Lyons Primary School have?

Hetton Lyons Primary School has 431 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hetton Lyons Primary School cover?

Hetton Lyons Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Hetton Lyons Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hetton Lyons Primary School?

Hetton Lyons Primary School is at Four Lane Ends, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH5 0AH.