Woodlea Primary School
Woodlea Primary School is an academy converter in Houghton Le Spring for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has 197 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Woodlea Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2024 of its predecessor, Woodlea Primary School.
Ofsted inspection: November 2024.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Fence Houses Houghton le Spring Tyne and Wear DH4 6AR |
| Reference Number | 151176 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 197 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 54.82%
Girls: 45.18% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 23.6% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 1.5% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 24.5 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 25.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 26 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | 12 | 28 |
| 2 | 14 | 10 | 24 |
| 3 | 16 | 11 | 27 |
| 4 | 13 | 11 | 24 |
| 5 | 13 | 16 | 29 |
| 6 | 16 | 8 | 24 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 92.4% |
| African | 4.1% |
| White & Black (African) | 1% |
| Mixed, Other | 1% |
| Chinese | 0.5% |
| Unclassified | 0.5% |
| Pakistani | 0.5% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, Woodlea Primary School, inspected in April 2024.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | This school has not had an inspection yet. |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 07 Nov 2024 | Academy conversion letter |
Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 21 | 1 |
| Third Preference | 8 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 23 | 14 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Woodlea Primary School had 190 pupils for 202 places. 12 places (5.9%) were unfilled.
Reception intake in the “Chester le Street East Primary” planning area
County Durham counted 80 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 75 in 2029–30, down 6%.
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 Woodlea Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.1% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.9% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.6% |
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, 1.4% of pupils at Woodlea Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 2.9 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 |
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 Woodlea Primary School had 20.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 12.0 | 12.8 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 3.5% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 0.0% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 0.0 | – |
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, 11.7% of pupils at Woodlea Primary School 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
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Social, emotional and mental health | 11 | 0 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 6 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 3 | 1 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 2 | 0 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 1 | 0 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Bournmoor Primary School
Lambourne Close, Bournmoor, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 6HF |
0.61 miles |
|
Dubmire Primary
Britannia Terrace, Fence Houses, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 6HL |
0.71 miles |
|
Lumley Junior School
Cocken Lane, Great Lumley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 4JJ |
1.25 miles |
|
Lumley Infant and Nursery School
Great Lumley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 4JL |
1.26 miles |
|
Burnside Academy Inspires
Burnside Estate, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 5HB |
1.39 miles |
|
Newbottle Primary Academy
Houghton Road, Newbottle, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 4EE |
1.49 miles |
|
Shiney Row Primary School
Rear South View, Shiney Row, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 4QP |
1.58 miles |
|
Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw
Station Road, Penshaw, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 7JZ |
1.79 miles |
|
St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton
Durham Road, St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH5 8NF |
1.87 miles |
|
Barnwell Academy
Whitefield Estate, Penshaw, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 7RT |
1.91 miles |
|
Bernard Gilpin Primary School
Hall Lane, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH5 8DA |
1.99 miles |
|
Houghton Le Spring Nursery School
Neasham Place, Houghton le Spring, DH5 8AE |
2.02 miles |
|
East Rainton Primary School
School Road, East Rainton, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH5 9RA |
2.13 miles |
|
New Penshaw Academy
Langdale Road, New Penshaw, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 7HY |
2.17 miles |
|
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street
Ropery Lane, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 3PH |
2.19 miles |
|
Red Rose Primary School
York Terrace, Red Rose Primary School, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 3NA |
2.24 miles |
|
Cestria Primary School
Church Chare, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 3PZ |
2.33 miles |
|
Gillas Lane Primary Academy
Seaton Avenue, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH5 8EH |
2.39 miles |
|
West Rainton Primary School
West Rainton, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 6RN |
2.49 miles |
|
Fatfield Academy
Southcroft, Fatfield, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 8RB |
2.5 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Kepier
Dairy Lane, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 5BH |
1.72 miles |
|
The Poplars
Miners Lodge, Market Crescent, New Herrington, Houghton le Spring, DH4 7AP |
1.94 miles |
|
Park View School
Church Chare, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 3QA |
2.26 miles |
|
St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington
Biddick Lane, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 8AF |
2.76 miles |
|
Hetton Academy
North Road, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH5 9JZ |
2.97 miles |
|
Biddick Academy
Biddick Lane, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 8AL |
3.02 miles |
|
Hermitage Academy
Waldridge Lane, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH2 3AD |
3.1 miles |
|
Oxclose Community Academy
Dilston Close, Oxclose Village, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 0LN |
3.57 miles |
|
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
Birtley Lane, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 2LP |
3.82 miles |
|
Farringdon Community Academy
Allendale Road, Sunderland, SR3 3EL |
3.89 miles |
|
Portland Academy
Weymouth Road, Chapelgarth, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR3 2NQ |
4 miles |
|
Washington Academy
Spout Lane, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE37 2AA |
4.21 miles |
|
Sandhill View Academy
Grindon Lane, Thorney Close, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR3 4EN |
4.39 miles |
|
Belmont Community School
The Links, Belmont, Durham, DH1 2AG |
4.43 miles |
|
Academy 360
Portsmouth Road, Sunderland, SR4 9BA |
4.48 miles |
|
Framwellgate School Durham
Newton Drive, Framwellgate Moor, Durham, DH1 5BQ |
4.48 miles |
|
Christ's College
Pennywell Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR4 8PG |
4.56 miles |
|
Elemore Hall School
Pittington, Elemore Hall School, Durham, DH6 1QD |
4.57 miles |
|
New College Durham
Framwellgate Moor Centre, Framwellgate Moor, Durham, DH1 5ES |
4.81 miles |
|
Durham Trinity School & Sports College
Dunholme Close, Aykley Heads, Durham, DH1 5WB |
4.85 miles |
All schools in Houghton Le Spring · Sunderland local authority: places and applications
Woodlea Primary School is part of Eden Learning Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:
- Kepier Houghton Le Spring
- Seaham High School Seaham
- Tanfield School Stanley
- Ferryhill School Ferryhill
- Chilton Academy Ferryhill
- King James I Academy Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland
- Woodham Academy Newton Aycliffe
- St Helen Auckland Community Primary School Bishop Auckland
- Aycliffe Village Primary and Nursery School Newton Aycliffe
What is Woodlea Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Woodlea Primary School is Good, from an inspection in April 2024 of its predecessor, Woodlea Primary School.
When was Woodlea Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
Woodlea Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.
How many pupils does Woodlea Primary School have?
Woodlea Primary School has 197 pupils on roll.
What age range does Woodlea Primary School cover?
Woodlea Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.
Where is Woodlea Primary School?
Woodlea Primary School is at Fence Houses, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 6AR.