Ridgeway Primary Academy, South Shields

Ofsted's report card from its 3 February 2026 inspection grades Ridgeway Primary Academy on 7 areas: 4 expected standard and 3 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils' attendance has increased over time."

Early years - Expected standard. "The early years curriculum is very well designed."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify the individual needs of pupils quickly and effectively."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pupils benefit from a comprehensive programme of personal development at the school."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they should be."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have appropriate ambitions for the quality of curriculum and teaching at the school."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders have identified some appropriate school development priorities."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that school improvement priorities precisely identify the underlying cause of any weaknesses and these priorities are acted upon quickly and effectively"; "Leaders should ensure that gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge and skills, notably reading fluency and handwriting, close rapidly so that pupils are well equipped to learn the across the curriculum"; "Leaders should ensure that staff accurately identify what pupils already know and can do, so that teachers make effective choices about how to teach the curriculum and when to move pupils' learning on"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils' achievement improves to be more consistent over time, so that a greater proportion of pupils are better prepared for their next stage of education"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils' persistent absence rates continue to reduce and the strategies they use result in high attendance for all groups of pupils over time".

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a PROUD member of the Tyne Coast Academy Trust , as the first school to join in 2013. Since then, as more schools have joined and the trust has grown stronger, Ridgeway has also gone from strength to strength, achieving a rating of ‘Good’ from Ofsted in 2016 which was confirmed in 2021."

The school runs a breakfast club.

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils at Ridgeway Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 66% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 76% in South Tyneside and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 56% in reading and 60% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 52 families put Ridgeway Primary Academy as their first choice and 82 named it as one of their preferences, for 52 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Ridgeway Primary Academy are Harton Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 76% reading, 78% maths); St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields (0.7 miles, 79% reading, 75% maths); Mortimer Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 79% reading, 70% maths); and Ashley Academy (0.9 miles, 62% reading, 55% maths).

Ridgeway Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

Ridgeway Primary Academy is one of 5 schools run by Tyne Coast Academy Trust, an academy trust.

47 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ridgeway Primary Academy (as of April 2026): 62% would recommend the school, 68% say their child is happy there and 17% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (70%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (17%).

48.2% 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, 141 pupils (31.2%) received SEN support and 18 (4%) 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.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Tyne Dock (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is King George Road- Orchid Gardens (s-bound), 80 metres away.

In 2024/25, Ridgeway Primary Academy issued 33 suspensions, 7.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Ridgeway Primary Academy are Harton Academy (0.5 miles), St Wilfrid's RC College (0.7 miles) and Mortimer Community College (1 mile).