St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton is a smaller-than-average Roman Catholic primary in the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust. The school has undergone significant leadership change since its last inspection, with a new headteacher appointed in September 2023 and a new deputy headteacher in September 2025. Pupils are achieving highly across the curriculum, with outcomes above national averages and improving. Attendance is high and persistent absence is low, while behaviour and attitudes to learning are strong. The curriculum is well planned and teaching is consistently effective, with particularly strong early years provision that gives children a flying start in phonics and number. The school is rated strong in achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, and leadership and governance. Safeguarding standards are met, and leaders have created an open and positive safeguarding culture. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps, and staff are happy and well supported. Governors and trust leaders provide effective challenge and support. There are two areas rated as expected rather than strong: inclusion and personal development. Leaders need to strengthen provision for pupils with SEND, especially targeted support for social, emotional and mental health barriers and partnership working with families. The personal development curriculum also needs to ensure pupils gain secure, detailed knowledge over time, particularly about other faiths, and the wider offer should be structured so all pupils benefit fully. Some pupils are less confident about positive mental wellbeing, and a small minority of parents continue to express concerns about provision.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve highly across the curriculum, with outcomes above national averages and improving over time.
• Pupils produce high-quality work, writing at length with fluency and accuracy and confidently solving complex mathematical problems.
• Early years children have impressive phonics knowledge and use it well when meeting unfamiliar words and texts.
• Attendance is high over time and persistent absence is lower than national averages.
• Behaviour and attitudes to learning are striking; pupils are engaged, respectful and rarely need reminders from staff.
• The curriculum is highly effective, with well-planned English provision built around six core pillars.
• Teaching is consistently effective, with clear modelling, precise questioning and well-sequenced learning.
• Early years provision is highly knowledgeable and well-resourced, giving children a flying start and preparing them well for Year 1.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with excellent insight, effective governor challenge and well-targeted professional development.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Pupils develop respect for difference, learn about protected characteristics and British values, and contribute to their wider community.
• Pupils receive effective pastoral care, feel happy and safe, and know who to turn to for help.

Areas for Improvement

• Inclusion is rated at expected standard; provision for pupils with SEND needs further strengthening.
• Leaders need to develop more targeted support for pupils with social, emotional and mental health barriers.
• Partnership working with families of pupils with SEND needs to be strengthened.
• Personal development is rated at expected standard; pupils do not develop detailed enough knowledge about other faiths.
• The wider personal development offer is not tailored enough for all pupils to benefit fully.
• Some pupils are less confident when sharing what they have been taught about developing positive mental wellbeing.
• A small minority of parents continue to express concerns about provision in the school.

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 St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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, 0.5% of pupils at St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton 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 St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton had 24.4 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, 13.0% of pupils at St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% 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 St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton received £6,556 and spent £6,571 for each of its 200 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £138,000 (£692 per pupil).

Across all 46 schools of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,708 and spending £7,760 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

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw Houghton Le Spring
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street Chester Le Street
• St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington Washington
• St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont Belmont
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Gilesgate Durham
• St Godric's Catholic Primary School, Durham Durham
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley Chester Le Street
• St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham Durham

What is St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton last inspected by Ofsted?

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton have?

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton has 193 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton cover?

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton?

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton is at Durham Road, St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH5 8NF.