St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton

St John Vianney Catholic Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in all inspected areas. The school effectively fosters a positive learning environment where pupils are encouraged to be confident, lifelong learners. Strong emphasis is placed on the social and emotional well-being of students, and behaviour management is consistent, ensuring pupils are respectful and kind to one another. Significant improvements have been made to the curriculum, particularly in early reading and mathematics, with a focus on mastery learning that enhances students' problem-solving skills. The school's supportive approach to students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is also commendable, ensuring they receive appropriate resources and support. However, areas for development have been identified, particularly around the consistent use of subject-specific vocabulary and the recall of previous learning in certain subjects. There is a need for more explicit learning intentions in some early years activities to aid progressive skill development. This is the school’s first routine inspection since becoming an academy, and it has shown positive growth since joining the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust.

Strengths

• Pupils are confident and well-prepared for lifelong learning.
• Strong behaviour management with a consistent approach.
• Effective curriculum changes enhancing subject planning and sequencing.
• Ambitious support for students with SEND.
• Early reading and phonics teaching is well-structured.
• Pupils enjoy mathematics and demonstrate positive outcomes.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent use of subject-specific vocabulary among pupils.
• Some pupils struggle to recall and connect aspects of their learning.
• Lack of clear learning intentions in some early years activities.

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 John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.7% 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 St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton 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 John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton had 24.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.5% 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, 16.4% of pupils at St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton received £5,938 and spent £6,110 for each of its 442 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £283,000 (£640 per pupil).

Across all 39 schools of Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,320 and spending £7,580 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 Newcastle-Upon-Tyne · Newcastle upon Tyne local authority: places and applications

St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton is part of Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, which runs 39 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mark's Catholic Primary School, Westerhope Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Newcastle Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St George's Catholic Primary School, Bells Close Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Cuthbert's High School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Fenham Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Sacred Heart Primary School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Sacred Heart Catholic High School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, Kenton Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Benwell Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

What is St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton last inspected by Ofsted?

St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton have?

St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton has 426 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton cover?

St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton?

St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton is at Hillhead Road, West Denton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE5 1DN.