High Spen Primary School, Rowlands Gill
High Spen Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Rowlands Gill. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 36th-highest of the 62 schools in Gateshead with published results, and 6,591st of 14,452 across England. It was 71% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Gateshead (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
High Spen Primary School in detail
High Spen Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a friendly and supportive school whose staff and children will always be ready to greet you with a smile. Please don't expect to meet this fresh faced young man on the left though - it is an old photo and much as I LOVE the job... it has aged me!"
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at High Spen Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 79% in Gateshead and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 80% in reading and 87% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at High Spen Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put High Spen Primary School as their first choice and 47 named it as one of their preferences, for 19 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 High Spen Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to High Spen Primary School are St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Highfield (1.2 miles, Good, 93% reading, 87% maths); Highfield Community Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 71% reading, 93% maths); Chopwell Primary School (1.6 miles, Good, 72% reading, 88% maths); and Greenside Primary School (1.6 miles, Outstanding, 96% reading, 83% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than High Spen Primary School.
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, HighfieldHighfield Community Primary SchoolChopwell Primary SchoolGreenside Primary School
Who goes there
1.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 19 pupils (11%) received SEN support and 5 (2.9%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
High Spen Primary School had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wylam Station, about 3.3 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High Spen Primary School (s-bound), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 14 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Gateshead (176).
Suspensions and exclusions
High Spen Primary School 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 school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from February 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2012 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
22.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 80% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 87% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
19.9
Avg class size
23.5
Infant (KS1)
23.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from High Spen Primary School
Invisible Cones for Sale!
2 Oct 2026
Chopwell Woods
2 Oct 2026
Newsletter 5
2 Oct 2026
Newsletter 4
25 Sep 2026
Newsletter 3
18 Sep 2026
Newsletter 2
11 Sep 2026
From High Spen Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with High Spen Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to High Spen Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. High Spen Primary School is in Gateshead; for families living there:
Apply to Gateshead for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
1 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 Gateshead is 11 (the median across 93 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 High Spen Primary School
Will you get a place at High Spen Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against High Spen Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for High Spen Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to High Spen Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Gateshead, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at High Spen Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Gateshead 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
71%
Available places
145 pupils
203 places
58 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rowlands Gill
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rowlands Gill
Across Gateshead council
Places available
2,494
Applications
1,785
Got 1st preference
98.1%
Got preferred school
99.8%
All primary applications across Gateshead council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
19
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
14.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
172
Total Pupils
88
Boys
84
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
14.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,528
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,888
Per pupil
£997k
Total funding
£52k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
12.4%
Persistent absence
137
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about High Spen Primary School
What are SATs results like at High Spen Primary School?
Of the pupils at High Spen Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is High Spen Primary School's Ofsted rating?
High Spen Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for High Spen Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When High Spen Primary School is oversubscribed, Gateshead allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at High Spen Primary School?
High Spen Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 203 places.
How big are the classes at High Spen Primary School?
Classes at High Spen Primary School average 19.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to High Spen Primary School?
High Spen Primary School has around 172 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at High Spen Primary School?
5.2% of sessions were missed at High Spen Primary School in 2024/25. 12.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to High Spen Primary School?
Apply through Gateshead's coordinated admissions process, naming High Spen Primary School 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 High Spen Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 1 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 1 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 Gateshead is 11 (the median across 93 schools, same distance and years).
Where is High Spen Primary School?
High Spen Primary School is at Hugar Road, High Spen, Rowlands Gill, Tyne and Wear, NE39 2BQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)