St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sunderland
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Sunderland. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 43 schools in Sunderland with published results, and 3,246th of 14,452 across England. It was 91% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sunderland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 84% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Sunderland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 94% in reading and 87% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School as their first choice and 46 named it as one of their preferences, for 33 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School are Redby Academy (0.1 miles, Good, 83% reading, 76% maths); Grange Park Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 68% reading, 65% maths); Fulwell Junior School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 86% maths); and Fulwell Infant School Academy (0.5 miles, Outstanding).
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Redby AcademyGrange Park Primary SchoolFulwell Junior SchoolFulwell Infant School Academy
Who goes there
6.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 51 pupils (16.8%) received SEN support and 5 (1.7%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Stadium Of Light (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 640 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Benet's Rc Primary School (n-bound), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from October 2014, 12 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
From Ofsted's April 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Benet's creates a welcoming, inclusive community where pupils feel safe, respected, and valued. Teachers have high expectations and pupils respond with excellent behaviour and strong achievement in most subjects. The school excels at developing children's character and leadership skills, giving pupils genuine opportunities to have their voices heard and make a difference.
Key Strengths
- Mathematics is a particular strength with carefully sequenced curriculum enabling pupils to build effectively on prior learning
- Strong sense of community with Catholic ethos and inclusive, welcoming environment
- Exceptional character development with a vast range of leadership opportunities for pupils
- Early years provision gives children a good start with sharp focus on communication and language
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND who successfully learn the same curriculum as peers
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent implementation of curriculum in some subjects with tasks that do not always help pupils learn as well as they could
- Assessment practices in some subjects not effective enough to identify gaps in knowledge and guide next steps in learning
- Early reading scheme not delivered consistently by all staff - some staff have only basic training and cannot implement the programme with precision
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff or anti-bullying ambassadors helping pupils with any worries.
Extracurricular Activities
Sporting events, clubs, visits, Reading Champions programme, Happiness Heroes role, you are not alone club
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School continues to be a good school with a strong Catholic ethos, solid sense of community, and high expectations for all pupils. Pupils are proud of their school, display exemplary behaviour, and achieve highly in most subjects.
At a Glance
6.3%
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 declined from 94% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 87% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.6
Avg class size
16.7
Infant (KS1)
24.3
KS2
14
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
1 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 St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School
Will you get a place at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School.
- Sunderland publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided 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
91%
Near capacity
286 pupils
315 places
29 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
51
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
18.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
303
Total Pupils
140
Boys
163
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
18.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,278
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,982
Per pupil
£1567k
Total funding
£33k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
12.4%
Persistent absence
259
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
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 87% reached the expected standard in reading and 84% did so in maths.
What is St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided 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 St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School?
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 91% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Classes at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School average 21.6 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School?
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School has around 303 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School in 2024/25. 12.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Apply through Sunderland's coordinated admissions process, naming St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 1 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 St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School?
St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School is at Fulwell Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR6 9QU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)