School profile

Ridgeway Primary Academy

Primary · Academy sponsor led · South Shields, NE34 8AB

Requires improvement

Map showing Ridgeway Primary Academy

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#11,971 of 15,057

Worse than 79% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Ridgeway Primary Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 3 Feb 2026

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Needs attention
Early years
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages3 to 11
Pupils452
GenderMixed
Head teacherMr Alex Golden
TrustTYNE COAST ACADEMY TRUST
Local authoritySouth Tyneside
Opened01 Feb 2013
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 139124.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolSouth TynesideEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths51%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside62%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.2%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside8%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.103, worse than England, similar to South Tyneside104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside105105
Expected standard in reading64%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside74%76%
Expected standard in writing69%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside73%73%
Expected standard in maths66%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside74%75%
Pupils taking tests59--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils452
Girls208
Boys244
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.48.2%
First language not English3.5%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.400
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.4.8%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.141
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.18
Average class size27.3

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
93.6%
Other ethnic group
1.5%
Other mixed
1.1%
African
1.1%
Indian
0.7%
Pakistani
0.4%
Other White
0.2%
White and Black African
0.2%
White and Asian
0.2%
Bangladeshi
0.2%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher20.6
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.8.8
Teachers (FTE)21
Teaching assistants (FTE)27.41
Support staff (FTE)33.2
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2522.9
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2521.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251.7

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.52
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.82
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.52
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.52
Applications from another local authority (Reception)1

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSouth TynesideEngland
Overall absence7.4%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside5.4%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.20.7%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside14.8%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.7%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside0.8%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate7.2%
Pupils with one or more suspensions2.2%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Ridgeway Primary Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.5 miSecondaryHarton AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryHarton Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miPrimarySt Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South ShieldsAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miSecondarySt Wilfrid's RC CollegeAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.9 miPrimaryMortimer Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.9 miPrimaryAshley AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.9 miPrimarySt Gregory's Catholic Primary School, South ShieldsAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miSecondaryMortimer Community CollegeCommunity school
Requires improvement
1.1 miPrimaryCleadon Church of England AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miPrimaryForest View PrimaryCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Ridgeway Primary Academy

What is Ridgeway Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ridgeway Primary Academy is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 3 Feb 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Ridgeway Primary Academy rank in England?

Ridgeway Primary Academy ranks 11,971 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 79% of schools).

What are Ridgeway Primary Academy's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 51% of pupils at Ridgeway Primary Academy met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Ridgeway Primary Academy?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Ridgeway Primary Academy made 52 offers from 82 applications (1.6 per offer), and 52 of 52 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Ridgeway Primary Academy?

Ridgeway Primary Academy has 452 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Ridgeway Primary Academy?

Ridgeway Primary Academy had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Ridgeway Primary Academy?

At Ridgeway Primary Academy, the average class had 27.3 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 20.6 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Ridgeway Primary Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at Ridgeway Primary Academy missed 7.4% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 20.7% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.