Mortimer Community College, South Shields

Good
Secondary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 1116

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~714m)Possible (~1.0km)Unlikely (~1.3km)Confidence: medium

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data. Admissions policy: Non-selective

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Simon Hignett
Pupils:1,139 / 1,156 capacity
LA:South Tyneside
Phone:01914566511
Address:Reading Road, South Shields, NE33 4UG
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Inspected 14 January 2025View full report
URN:108727
UKPRN:10016610
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:South Shields
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The new headteacher has transformed the school's culture, making teaching and learning the priority and raising pupil aspirations and behaviour. Pupils behave well, attend regularly, and feel safe and valued in the school community. The school provides a broad curriculum tailored to pupils' interests and futures, with improving GCSE results in English and mathematics.

Key Strengths

  • Strong leadership from the new headteacher with high expectations and ambition for all pupils
  • Positive school culture leading to good behaviour and attendance, with pupils feeling safe and cared for
  • Improving outcomes in GCSE English and mathematics over the past two years
  • Good governance with governors effectively challenging leaders and holding them to account
  • Wide range of extra-curricular activities supporting pupils' personal development

Areas for Improvement

  • Teaching quality remains inconsistent, particularly in science and geography, slowing pupil progress
  • Disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are not making good enough progress
  • Teachers' use of assessment information is inconsistent and not always used to plan appropriate work
  • Teachers' questioning techniques need to be more skilful to challenge and extend pupils' understanding
  • Literacy skills development across the wider curriculum needs fuller staff commitment

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with all statutory requirements met and a strong culture where keeping pupils safe is everyone's responsibility.

Extracurricular Activities

After-school clubs, sporting activities, performance activities, social ethics lessons, Department Showcase events

Mortimer Community College requires improvement overall, though the new headteacher has established a positive culture for learning and made rapid progress since the last inspection. Teaching quality needs further development, particularly in science and geography, to ensure all pupils make good progress.

At a Glance

42.6%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

60 responses
Would recommend78%
Child is happy85%
Well taught83%
Good progress87%
Feels safe82%
Well behaved77%
Bullying dealt with15%
Kept informed83%
Handles concerns60%
Wider development75%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

24.7

Avg class size

43

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

Chichester (Tyne and Wear Metro Station)
679m · 11 min walk

Bus Stops

Mortimer Comprehensive School (S-Bound)
86m · 1 min walk
Mortimer Road-Reading Road (NW-Bound)
112m · 2 min walk
Mortimer Road-Hepscott Terrace (SE-Bound)
131m · 2 min walk
Mortimer Road-Caudwell Avenue (NW-Bound)
164m · 3 min walk
Mortimer Road-Oxford Avenue (SE-Bound)
247m · 4 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

99%

Near capacity

1,139 pupils

1,156 capacity

17 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - South Shields

Low pressure
New homes approved:389
Projected new pupils:70

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for South Shields

Admissions Demand - South Tyneside

Low demand0.87x oversubscription

Places available

1,804

Applications

1,577

Got 1st preference

89.8%

Got preferred school

96.3%

Secondary admissions across South Tyneside (2025/26)

Inspection History(9)

14 January 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
17 September 2019
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
10 May 2017
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood

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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

11.42107%

Overall absence

33.56282%

Persistent absence

1,162

Enrolments

Authorised7.53597%
Unauthorised3.8851%
Persistent (10%+)33.56282%
Severe (50%+)5.67986%

Absence trend

5.59385%
18/19
7.54684%
20/21
9.62199%
21/22
9.95138%
22/23
10.46058%
23/24
11.42107%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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