Marlborough Primary School, Washington

Requires Improvement
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 211

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~582m)Possible (~832m)Unlikely (~1.1km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Wendy Buddle
Pupils:150 / 210 capacity
LA:Sunderland
Phone:01914164311
Address:Marlborough Road, Sulgrave Village, Washington, NE37 3BG
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Early Years

Inspected 25 March 2025View full report
URN:108822
UKPRN:10078370
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Washington and Gateshead South
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Marlborough Primary School provides excellent care and support for all children, with particularly strong teaching of reading, writing and mathematics from the start. The early years provision is outstanding, helping children from low starting points make rapid progress. Parents appreciate the school's efforts, with one commenting that children have 'come on in leaps and bounds' since starting at the school.

Key Strengths

  • Strong teaching of basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics from an early age
  • Effective provision for pupils with special educational needs and in-school counselling for those with social, emotional and mental health difficulties
  • Excellent early years provision with children making rapid progress from their starting points
  • Strong phonics teaching with pupils developing early reading and writing skills rapidly
  • Caring school environment where pupils thrive and support local and national charities

Areas for Improvement

  • Pupil attendance remains below the national average
  • Not enough of the most able pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, reaching the highest standards at the end of each key stage
  • Progress in mathematics across key stage 2 is not yet as strong as progress in English
  • Disadvantaged pupils making good progress but not reaching standards of non-disadvantaged pupils nationally
  • Pupils wanting a further reduction in name-calling incidents

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective with strong recruitment procedures, full compliance with government requirements, regular staff training, and pupils feeling safe and secure in school.

Marlborough Primary School continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained and improved the quality of education since the last inspection in 2012, despite staffing changes and moving to a new building.

At a Glance

67.2%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-47ppMaths-27ppWriting-7pp

Reading has declined from 74% to 27%. Maths has declined from 74% to 47%. Writing has declined from 74% to 67%.

Class Sizes

18.3

Avg class size

19.3

Infant (KS1)

17.5

KS2

7

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Marlborough Road (S-Bound)
101m · 2 min walk
Usworth Station Road (E-Bound)
270m · 4 min walk
Waterloo Road (S-Bound)
326m · 5 min walk
Washington Road-Severn Houses (E-Bound)
377m · 6 min walk
Silverstone Road (SE-Bound)
515m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

71%

Available places

150 pupils

210 capacity

60 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Washington

Low pressure
New homes approved:825
Projected new pupils:206

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Washington

Admissions Demand - Sunderland

Low demand0.80x oversubscription

Places available

3,460

Applications

2,785

Got 1st preference

95.4%

Got preferred school

98.8%

Primary admissions across Sunderland (2025/26)

Inspection History(12)

25 March 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsOutstanding
21 March 2023
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsGood
31 October 2017

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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

6.08251%

Overall absence

16.80672%

Persistent absence

119

Enrolments

Authorised3.65373%
Unauthorised2.42878%
Persistent (10%+)16.80672%
Severe (50%+)1.68067%

Absence trend

4.08071%
18/19
4.67711%
20/21
7.73319%
21/22
6.32843%
22/23
5.84225%
23/24
6.08251%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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