St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Bedlington
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
St Bede's excels at teaching children to read fluently from the start, with expert phonics instruction and a curriculum built around reading. The school is highly inclusive, meeting the individual needs of all pupils including those with special educational needs through quality staff training and thoughtful adaptations. Parents and staff alike praise the positive, supportive environment where pupils feel safe, behave well, and are excited to learn.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics teaching and reading focus throughout the school, with pupils becoming fluent early readers
- Excellent attendance rates, well above national averages for all pupils including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
- Well-sequenced curriculum with purposeful adaptations for pupils with special educational needs
- Positive behaviour and safe, respectful school environment where bullying is addressed swiftly
- High-quality staff training based on educational research that improves classroom practice
Areas for Improvement
- Early writing skills, particularly letter formation, are less well developed than reading and mathematics
- Leadership stability, as all senior leaders are currently in interim or temporary roles
- Need to continue strengthening pupils' writing skills to match their progress in reading
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met. The school has established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed, making pupils safer and helping them feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Multi-skills club (Newcastle United Foundation), sporting clubs, cultural clubs, academic clubs, library visits, museum visits, theatre visits, educational visits
St Bede's Catholic Primary School is meeting expected standards across all areas of inspection. The school has shown steady improvement since the last inspection, with pupils making good progress in reading and mathematics, and attendance well above national averages.
At a Glance
13.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 64% to 72%. Maths has improved from 64% to 76%. Writing has improved from 68% to 76%.
Class Sizes
24.9
Avg class size
23.0
Infant (KS1)
27.8
KS2
8
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
85%
Available places
205 pupils
240 capacity
35 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Bedlington
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bedlington
Admissions Demand - Northumberland
Places available
3,779
Applications
2,591
Got 1st preference
96.6%
Got preferred school
99.9%
Primary admissions across Northumberland (2025/26)
Inspection History(13)
House Prices
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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.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.38452%
Overall absence
8.38323%
Persistent absence
167
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Bede's Catholic Primary School
Nearby Schools
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