St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend, Wallsend
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Wallsend, part of Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 12 schools in Wallsend with published results, and 11,866th of 14,452 across England. It was 84% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to North Tyneside (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend in detail
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care until 4:00pm, from £4.00 per session.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend reached the expected standard in reading and 56% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 75% in North Tyneside and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (73% in reading, 60% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend as their first choice and 52 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend are Western Community Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 87% reading, 85% maths); Wallsend Jubilee Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths); Carville Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 20% reading, 40% maths); and Carville Academy (0.6 miles).
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Western Community Primary SchoolWallsend Jubilee Primary SchoolCarville Primary SchoolCarville Academy
The trust
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend is one of 39 schools run by Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
22 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend (as of September 2025): 64% would recommend the school, 86% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Who goes there
9.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Black (6%).
In 2026, 31 pupils (16.3%) received SEN support and 2 (1.1%) 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.
Staffing
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend had 11 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Wallsend (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 930 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Station Road-The Drive (nw-bound), 120 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend are Benfield School (0.8 miles), Burnside College (0.9 miles), Walker Riverside Academy (1.1 miles) and Churchill Academy (1.5 miles).
Benfield SchoolBurnside CollegeWalker Riverside AcademyChurchill Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in November 2021. Before that, as St Columbas Roman Catholic Primary School Aided (URN 108625), it was rated Good in September 2013.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Columba's creates a caring, supportive environment where children are motivated to learn and behave well. The school excels at teaching reading through expert phonics training and carefully matched books, with pupils quickly developing fluency and a genuine love of reading. Strong leadership and nurturing relationships across the school help every child develop confidence, resilience and a clear understanding of right and wrong.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with effective staff training ensures pupils quickly develop phonics knowledge and reading fluency
- Carefully sequenced curriculums in writing and maths with regular checking of understanding help pupils build robust knowledge
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs through swift identification and collaboration with external professionals
- Warm, nurturing early years environment where children develop confidence and independence
- Pupils take on meaningful leadership roles and develop strong understanding of British values and safety
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not being addressed quickly enough, meaning some pupils do not develop clear understanding over time
- Staff need to identify and address knowledge gaps more swiftly across the curriculum to ensure robust learning progression
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
construction club, football, multi-skills, residential trips with canoeing and orienteering activities, breakfast club
St Columba's Catholic Primary School is a caring and happy school where pupils behave well and benefit from high expectations. The school has taken effective action to maintain good standards, though recent published outcomes do not yet reflect the quality of education pupils currently experience.
At a Glance
19.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
22 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 74% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 60% to 56% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 53% to 74% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.8
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
23.0
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend is in North Tyneside; for families living there:
Apply to North Tyneside for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 25
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 18 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 North Tyneside is 12 (the median across 84 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 Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend
Will you get a place at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from North Tyneside, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in North Tyneside 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
84%
Available places
176 pupils
210 places
34 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wallsend
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wallsend
Across North Tyneside council
Places available
2,516
Applications
2,025
Got 1st preference
91.7%
Got preferred school
96.2%
All primary applications across North Tyneside council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
31
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
17.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
190
Total Pupils
107
Boys
83
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
17.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,735
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,694
Per pupil
£1112k
Total funding
£61k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.2%
Overall absence
12.4%
Persistent absence
161
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 Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend
Questions parents ask about St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend
What are SATs results like at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend?
Of the pupils at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 74% reached the expected standard in reading and 56% did so in maths.
What is St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend's Ofsted rating?
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in November 2021. Before that, as St Columbas Roman Catholic Primary School Aided (URN 108625), it was rated Good in September 2013.
What is the catchment area for St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend?
No fixed boundary. When St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend is oversubscribed, North Tyneside allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend?
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend was not full in 2025: it ran at 84% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend?
Classes at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend average 23.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend?
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend has around 190 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend?
6.2% of sessions were missed at St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend in 2024/25. 12.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend?
Apply through North Tyneside's coordinated admissions process, naming St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend 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 Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 18 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 North Tyneside is 12 (the median across 84 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend?
St Columba's Catholic Primary School, Wallsend is at Station Road, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, NE28 8EN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)