St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington

St Bede’s Catholic Primary School has performed well overall, achieving a good rating in all inspected areas, including the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, leadership, and early years provision. This marks the school's first inspection since becoming an academy in 2019 under the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, and it reflects a consistent vision from trustees and leaders focused on delivering high-quality education. The school fosters a nurturing and supportive environment where pupils feel safe, valued, and encouraged to achieve their best.

Strengths

• Welcoming and nurturing school environment
• High expectations for pupil behaviour
• Ambitious curriculum with a strong focus on early years
• Effective phonics teaching leading to good reading progress
• Strong personal development and extracurricular opportunities
• Committed leadership and support from the trust

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge affecting their achievement
• Reading curriculum beyond phonics is less well developed

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 Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.9% 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 Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington 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 Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington had 22.6 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, 13.2% of pupils at St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington received £6,553 and spent £6,443 for each of its 218 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £36,000 (£166 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 Washington · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

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

• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Gateshead Gateshead
• St Oswald's Catholic Primary, Wrekenton Gateshead
• St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington Washington
• Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead Gateshead
• St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green Gateshead
• St Alban's Catholic Primary School, Pelaw Gateshead
• St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley Chester Le Street
• St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley Chester Le Street

What is St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington is Good, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington last inspected by Ofsted?

St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington have?

St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington has 204 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington cover?

St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington?

St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington is at Hampshire Place, Usworth, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE37 2NP.