Grace College, Gateshead

Requires Improvement
Secondary
Academy converter
Mixed
Ages 1118

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.0km)Possible (~1.5km)Unlikely (~1.9km)Confidence: medium

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Rachael Hooker
Pupils:1,125 / 1,432 capacity
LA:Gateshead
Phone:01914422000
Address:Saltwell Road South, Gateshead, NE9 6LE
Trust:EMMANUEL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION
Status:open
Opened:1 April 2019

Ofsted Rating

Requires Improvement

Overall

URN:147178
UKPRN:10083056
Constituency:Gateshead Central and Whickham
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Grace College excels at supporting sixth form students through an associated provision, where they receive high-quality teaching and progress well from their starting points. The school is strong at personal development, offering residential trips and diverse enrichment opportunities that help pupils build confidence and resilience. Leaders have successfully improved behaviour and created a calm learning environment where pupils feel valued and celebrated.

Key Strengths

  • Post-16 students benefit from high-quality teaching and extensive support, with strong progress from their starting points
  • Leaders have improved curriculum design and raised expectations for behaviour, creating a calm and orderly learning environment
  • Strong commitment to inclusion and personal development, with residential trips and enrichment activities helping pupils develop resilience and confidence

Areas for Improvement

  • Attendance rates remain much higher than the national average, particularly for severely absent pupils, and improvement strategies are not working quickly enough
  • Inconsistency in teaching quality means some pupils have gaps in foundational knowledge in literacy and mathematics that are not being addressed quickly
  • Attainment and progress in key stage 4 national tests have not been as secure as needed, though 2025 shows signs of improvement

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open and positive culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed, making pupils safer.

Extracurricular Activities

Medics society, debate club, sport, choir, orchestra, residential trips including Camp Grace, leadership roles as mentors and prefects, Good Morning Grace school broadcast

Grace College is improving and shows strong performance in post-16 provision through an associated sixth form, with students achieving well and accessing ambitious courses. However, the school needs to address attendance issues, inconsistencies in teaching quality, and gaps in pupil achievement in core subjects.

At a Glance

41.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

23.6

Avg class size

46

Total classes

4 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Saltwell Road South-Joseph Swan (N-Bound)
43m · 1 min walk
Saltwell Road South-Chowdene Park (N-Bound)
84m · 1 min walk
Grace College (E-Bound)
96m · 2 min walk
Chowdene Bank-The Lodges Road (N-Bound)
282m · 5 min walk
Saltwell Road South-Chowdene Bank (N-Bound)
395m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

79%

Available places

1,125 pupils

1,432 capacity

307 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Gateshead

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,960
Projected new pupils:353

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Gateshead

Admissions Demand - Gateshead

Low demand0.80x oversubscription

Places available

2,301

Applications

1,835

Got 1st preference

86.2%

Got preferred school

96.5%

Secondary admissions across Gateshead (2025/26)

Inspection History(103)

Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

16.80133%

Overall absence

41.9105%

Persistent absence

1,162

Enrolments

Authorised9.08583%
Unauthorised7.7155%
Persistent (10%+)41.9105%
Severe (50%+)12.6506%

Absence trend

10.82463%
18/19
10.50198%
20/21
15.16457%
21/22
15.60129%
22/23
17.42385%
23/24
16.80133%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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