Dubmire Primary, Houghton le Spring
Dubmire Primary is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Houghton le Spring, part of Aim High Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 12th-highest of the 17 schools in Houghton le Spring with published results, and 9,159th of 14,452 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sunderland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Dubmire Primary in detail
Dubmire Primary in its own words
The school runs after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Dubmire Primary reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Sunderland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 74% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Dubmire Primary
For September 2026 entry, 66 families put Dubmire Primary as their first choice and 90 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 6 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Dubmire Primary are Woodlea Primary School (0.7 miles); Burnside Academy Inspires (0.8 miles, Good, 64% reading, 57% maths); Newbottle Primary Academy (1.1 miles, Good, 80% reading, 81% maths); and Bournmoor Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 71% reading, 65% maths).
Dubmire Primary's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Woodlea Primary SchoolBurnside Academy InspiresNewbottle Primary AcademyBournmoor Primary School
The trust
Dubmire Primary is one of 3 schools run by Aim High Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
66 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Dubmire Primary (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 79% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (79%).
Who goes there
1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 74 pupils (15.4%) received SEN support and 7 (1.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Dubmire Primary.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Front Street Fence Houses, 20 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Dubmire Primary stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 65 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Sunderland (148).
Suspensions and exclusions
Dubmire Primary recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Dubmire Primary sits proudly at the heart of the community. The school leaves no stone unturned in its support for pupils and their families. Parents and carers speak highly of the school and appreciate the support their children receive.
The school has the highest of aspirations for all pupils' achievement, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It provides an ambitious and engaging curriculum. Pupils are keen to learn in lessons. Over time, the vast majority of pupils achieve very well.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has a well-designed, ambitious curriculum. It is clear what knowledge and skills pupils must learn as they progress through the school. The curriculum includes extensive enrichment opportunities for all pupils. Teachers help pupils to learn the broad curriculum very well. Pupils often recall prior learning with great detail. For example, they could describe and explain the phases of the moon in science. Pupils remembered important facts in history with enthusiasm. They described how they saw themselves as historians.
Pupils with SEND are supported extremely well. Their needs are identified precisely and rapidly. Staff know pupils well and adapt activities to meet the needs of individual pupils. Skilled adults are quick to provide additional support when pupils need it. Pupils with SEND are included in all aspects of the school. In-class support is highly effective, meaning children can often learn alongside their peers. Some pupils receive targeted support through interventions. This helps them to rejoin their class quickly.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2019 inspection - up from Inadequate.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
27.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
66 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 83% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 76% to 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
28.2
Infant (KS1)
26.8
KS2
15
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Dubmire Primary
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Dubmire Primary from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Dubmire Primary is in Sunderland; for families living there:
Apply to Sunderland for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 15
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 12 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Sunderland is 13 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Dubmire Primary
Will you get a place at Dubmire Primary? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Dubmire Primary's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Dubmire Primary:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Dubmire Primary.
- Sunderland publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Dubmire Primary that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Dubmire Primary for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Sunderland got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
90%
Near capacity
379 pupils
420 places
41 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Houghton le Spring
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Houghton le Spring
Across Sunderland council
Places available
3,430
Applications
2,737
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Sunderland council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
74
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
16.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
479
Total Pupils
252
Boys
227
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
23.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,332
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,260
Per pupil
£2229k
Total funding
£170k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
16.0%
Persistent absence
331
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Dubmire Primary
Questions parents ask about Dubmire Primary
What are SATs results like at Dubmire Primary?
Of the pupils at Dubmire Primary who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Dubmire Primary's Ofsted rating?
Dubmire Primary's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Dubmire Primary?
No fixed boundary. When Dubmire Primary is oversubscribed, Sunderland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Dubmire Primary?
Dubmire Primary was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Dubmire Primary?
Classes at Dubmire Primary average 28.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Dubmire Primary?
Dubmire Primary has around 479 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Dubmire Primary?
5.3% of sessions were missed at Dubmire Primary in 2024/25. 16% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Dubmire Primary?
Apply through Sunderland's coordinated admissions process, naming Dubmire Primary on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Dubmire Primary?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 12 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Sunderland is 13 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Dubmire Primary?
Dubmire Primary is at Britannia Terrace, Fence Houses, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 6HL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)