Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw is a happy and inclusive school where pupils are eager to learn and behave well. Following a period of leadership change, the school has strengthened its curriculum and now provides a broad, ambitious education that helps most pupils achieve well. Pupils benefit from a strong reading culture, effective support for pupils with SEND, and a wide range of enriching experiences that bring learning to life. The school is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust and was previously judged to require improvement; this inspection found good provision in all judged areas, with safeguarding arrangements effective.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, eager to learn and proud of their success.
• Behaviour is strong, with calm and focused learning and few disruptions.
• The school is inclusive and makes every child feel welcome and valued.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and well sequenced across subjects.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively to learn alongside their peers.
• Reading is a high priority, with a strong culture of reading for pleasure.
• Phonics is taught consistently well and struggling readers catch up rapidly.
• Personal development is well organised, including relationships, health, safety and British values.
• Pupils benefit from a wide programme of events, trips, clubs and community activities.
• Staff feel valued and supported with workload and well-being.
• Trustees, governors and leaders share a clear vision and fulfil their responsibilities effectively.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently apply the school's teaching approach in a small number of lessons.
• In some lessons, teachers do not routinely check pupils' understanding or give precise feedback, so some pupils lose concentration and learn less well.
• Some parts of the early years learning environment are not well developed and lack rich, meaningful opportunities.
• In some early years areas, children, especially reception-age children, have insufficient opportunities to practise and embed new learning through adult-supported and independent play.

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 Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw attended 96.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw 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 Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw had 20.6 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, 16.5% of pupils at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw received £6,965 and spent £7,077 for each of its 300 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £84,000 (-£280 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

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington Washington
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton Houghton Le Spring
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street Chester Le Street
• St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley Chester Le Street
• St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley Chester Le Street
• St Benet's Catholic Primary School, Ouston Chester Le Street
• St Oswald's Catholic Primary, Wrekenton Gateshead

What is Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw have?

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw has 291 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw cover?

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw?

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw is at Station Road, Penshaw, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 7JZ.