St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth

St Leonard's Catholic Primary School has shown a commendable transformation under new leadership, earning a 'Good' rating across all inspection domains. The school emphasizes high aspirations for its pupils, fostering a supportive environment where students feel safe and well-prepared for their future education. Notably, pupils express pride in their school and exhibit excellent behavior and positive attitudes towards learning, reflecting strong relationships with staff and peers. However, the school is at an early stage of curriculum implementation in certain subjects, which presents some challenges in ensuring a solid foundation for all learners.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit excellent behavior and positive attitudes towards learning.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a supportive environment.
• Effective identification and support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Reading is a notable strength with a well-trained staff in delivering phonics.
• The school fosters a spiritual and inclusive environment, promoting kindness and tolerance.
• High aspirations among pupils with opportunities to explore various career paths.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum is at an early stage of implementation in some subjects, which may not ensure prior knowledge is well embedded.
• Subject leaders lack a clear understanding of early years curriculum linkage to national curriculum subjects.

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 Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.2% 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, 1.5% of pupils at St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth 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 Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth had 27.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.8% 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, 16.9% of pupils at St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth received £5,616 and spent £6,011 for each of its 199 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £406,000 (-£2,038 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,338 and spending £7,295 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 Sunderland · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, which runs 31 schools. The nearest others:

• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Ryhope Sunderland
• St Aidan's Catholic Academy Sunderland
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland
• St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy Sunderland
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Seaham Seaham
• St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School Seaham
• English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland
• St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland Sunderland

What is St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth last inspected by Ofsted?

St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth have?

St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth has 207 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth cover?

St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth?

St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth is at Tunstall Village Road, Silksworth, Sunderland, SR3 2BB.