Fulwell Infant School Academy, Sunderland
Fulwell Infant School Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Sunderland, part of Jigsaw Learning Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. It was full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sunderland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Fulwell Infant School Academy in detail
Fulwell Infant School Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Thank you for considering Fulwell Infant School Academy for your child’s education. We are proud to provide a happy, safe and nurturing environment where children are encouraged to achieve their very best."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £5 per session.
Coming up: an open day on Monday 30 November 2026 at 1.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Sunderland
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Fulwell Infant School Academy
For September 2026 entry, 81 families put Fulwell Infant School Academy as their first choice and 113 named it as one of their preferences, for 83 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Fulwell Infant School Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Fulwell Infant School Academy are Fulwell Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 86% maths); Seaburn Dene Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 92% reading, 88% maths); St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 87% reading, 84% maths); and Redby Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 83% reading, 76% maths).
Fulwell Junior SchoolSeaburn Dene Primary SchoolSt Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolRedby Academy
The trust
Fulwell Infant School Academy is one of 2 schools run by Jigsaw Learning Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
96 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Fulwell Infant School Academy (as of September 2025): 97% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (86%).
Who goes there
5.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 20 pupils (5.6%) received SEN support and 6 (1.7%) 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
The nearest tram or metro stop is Seaburn (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 720 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sea Road-Rockville (e-bound), 170 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Fulwell Infant School Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Fulwell Infant School Academy are Monkwearmouth Academy (0.6 miles) and Whitburn Church of England Academy (1.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2014, 12 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 Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Fulwell Infant School is known for its warm, caring environment where parents feel well-informed about their children's progress. The school goes above and beyond for pupils with additional needs, providing specialist support that helps them overcome learning barriers. Strong teaching in early reading and maths, combined with a wide range of engaging subjects and enrichment activities, ensures children develop into curious and enthusiastic learners who are well-prepared for the next stage.
Key Strengths
- Excellent provision for pupils with SEND, with staff attuned to individual needs and high-quality support
- Strong improvements to mathematics teaching, helping pupils develop confidence with numbers and problem-solving
- Highly effective teaching in Nursery with well-developed communication and language skills
- Warm and positive relationships between staff, pupils and families with strong communication
- Recent improvements to personal development helping pupils understand respect, relationships and online safety
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils need more focused support to recall letter sounds quickly so they can read fluently
- In some subjects like art and design, the precise knowledge pupils should learn is not clearly defined
- Assessment in some subjects does not consistently check whether pupils remember their learning over time
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Visits and visitors complementing the curriculum, breakfast club, after-school club
Fulwell Infant School Academy is a good school where pupils enjoy warm relationships with staff and achieve well across a range of subjects. The school is particularly ambitious for all pupils, with high-quality provision for those with special educational needs.
At a Glance
5.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
96 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
27.8
Avg class size
29.8
Infant (KS1)
12
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 Fulwell Infant School Academy
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Fulwell Infant School Academy, with their latest published grades:
- Busy Bees Day Nursery at Sunderland Fulwell - Day nursery, 0.6 milesOfsted, 23 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- High View Nursery - Day nursery, 0.7 milesOfsted, 12 April 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- New Beginnings - Day nursery, 1.1 milesOfsted report card, 5 December 2025: Strong standard in 2 areas, Expected standard in 4 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Siblings Nursery Beacon Ltd - Day nursery, 1.3 milesOfsted, 24 June 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Siblings Private Day Nursery - Day nursery, 1.8 milesOfsted, 14 June 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Fulwell Infant School Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Fulwell Infant School Academy 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Fulwell Infant School Academy
Will you get a place at Fulwell Infant School Academy?
For 2026 entry it had 81 first choices for 83 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
270 pupils
270 places
No spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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: Every first choice offered
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Primary Planning Area 7 planning area (Sunderland) will have 399 spare primary places in 2027/28.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
20
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
7.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
354
Total Pupils
180
Boys
174
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
22.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,169
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£1486k
Total funding
£29k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
6.5%
Persistent absence
186
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
Fulwell Infant School Academy
Questions parents ask about Fulwell Infant School Academy
What is Fulwell Infant School Academy's Ofsted rating?
Fulwell Infant School Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in July 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
Is it hard to get a place at Fulwell Infant School Academy?
Fulwell Infant School Academy was full in 2025, at 100% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Fulwell Infant School Academy?
Classes at Fulwell Infant School Academy average 27.8 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils.
How many pupils go to Fulwell Infant School Academy?
Fulwell Infant School Academy has around 354 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Fulwell Infant School Academy?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Fulwell Infant School Academy in 2024/25. 6.5% of pupils were persistently absent.
How many road collisions happen near Fulwell Infant School Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Fulwell Infant School Academy?
Fulwell Infant School Academy is at Ebdon Lane, Fulwell, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR6 8ED.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)