Hylton Castle Primary School, Sunderland
Hylton Castle Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Sunderland. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 41st-highest of the 43 schools in Sunderland with published results, and 11,866th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sunderland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hylton Castle Primary School in detail
Hylton Castle Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I started at this school as Deputy Headteacher in 2013 and am delighted to now be Headteacher. Our school has many strengths but I believe one of the biggest contributors to our success is our ethos; which regularly gets commented upon."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at Hylton Castle Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 63% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Sunderland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (62% in reading, 69% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Hylton Castle Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put Hylton Castle Primary School as their first choice and 42 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Hylton Castle Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hylton Castle Primary School are Bexhill Academy (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 78% reading, 81% maths); Town End Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 65% reading, 73% maths); St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland (0.6 miles, 64% reading, 64% maths); and Castletown Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 82% reading, 82% maths).
Hylton Castle Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Bexhill AcademyTown End AcademySt John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, SunderlandCastletown Primary School
Who goes there
46.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 3.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 36 pupils (15.7%) received SEN support and 6 (2.6%) 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 South Hylton (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
22 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Caithness Road (w-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hylton Castle Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hylton Castle Primary School issued 6 suspensions, 2.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hylton Castle Primary School are Castle View Enterprise Academy (0.5 miles) and Red House Academy (1.4 miles).
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; 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 - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
46.7%
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 62% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 69% to 63% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 52% to 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.9
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Hylton Castle Primary School
Before and after school care
Hylton Castle Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Sunderland
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hylton Castle Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hylton Castle Primary School 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
- 25
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 5 serious and 18 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 on a bicycle.
6 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 Hylton Castle Primary School
Will you get a place at Hylton Castle Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hylton Castle Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hylton Castle Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hylton Castle Primary School.
- Sunderland publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Hylton Castle Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hylton Castle Primary School for 2014 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
99%
Near capacity
207 pupils
210 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sunderland
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sunderland
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
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
36
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
18.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
229
Total Pupils
126
Boys
103
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
20.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,986
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,245
Per pupil
£1483k
Total funding
£135k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
11.8%
Persistent absence
178
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
Hylton Castle Primary School
Questions parents ask about Hylton Castle Primary School
What are SATs results like at Hylton Castle Primary School?
Of the pupils at Hylton Castle Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 63% did so in maths.
What is Hylton Castle Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Hylton Castle Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 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 Hylton Castle Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Hylton Castle Primary School is oversubscribed, Sunderland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hylton Castle Primary School?
Hylton Castle Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Hylton Castle Primary School?
Classes at Hylton Castle Primary School average 24.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Hylton Castle Primary School?
Hylton Castle Primary School has around 229 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hylton Castle Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Hylton Castle Primary School in 2024/25. 11.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hylton Castle Primary School?
Apply through Sunderland's coordinated admissions process, naming Hylton Castle 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.
Does Hylton Castle Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Hylton Castle Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Hylton Castle Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 5 serious and 18 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 on a bicycle. 6 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 Hylton Castle Primary School?
Hylton Castle Primary School is at Caithness Road, Hylton Castle, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR5 3RE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)