St Paul's CofE Primary School, Sunderland
St Paul's CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Sunderland. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 43 schools in Sunderland with published results, and 247th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.5 first-choice applications for every place. It was 87% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2018)
- Demand
- 1.5 first choices per place
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sunderland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
St Paul's CofE Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 97% of Year 6 pupils at St Paul's CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 97% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Sunderland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 77% in reading and 80% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Paul's CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 68 families put St Paul's CofE Primary School as their first choice and 111 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 24 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Paul's CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Paul's CofE Primary School are St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Ryhope (0.2 miles, Good, 74% reading, 79% maths); Ryhope Junior School (0.4 miles, Good, 78% reading, 82% maths); Ryhope Infant School Academy (0.4 miles, Good); and St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth (1.3 miles, Good, 91% reading, 94% maths).
St Paul's CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, RyhopeRyhope Junior SchoolRyhope Infant School AcademySt Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth
What parents say
86 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Paul's CofE Primary School (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 40% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (40%).
Who goes there
13% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (88%) and Black (5%).
In 2026, 78 pupils (23.5%) received SEN support and 9 (2.7%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Seaham Rail Station, about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Stockton Road (n-bound), 250 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 97 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Sunderland (148).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Paul's CofE Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Paul's CofE Primary School are Venerable Bede Church of England Academy (1 mile) and Seaham High School (1.8 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2018, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Paul's is an inclusive school where all children thrive and enjoy learning. The school excels at teaching reading and maths, helping even pupils who need extra support to become fluent readers. Beyond academics, the school is excellent at developing children's character and encouraging them to make positive contributions - from raising money for local charities to performing in their own creative shows.
Key Strengths
- Very effective teaching of early reading and mathematics, with children in early years making a particularly strong start
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND who are identified accurately and fully included in all school activities
- Strong personal development programme that develops pupils' character, social and moral perspectives, and encourages them to be 'agents of change'
- High standards of behaviour and conduct, with pupils taking on various leadership roles
- Broad and interesting curriculum that builds knowledge and skills well, with pupils retaining and applying learning across subjects
Areas for Improvement
- In a minority of subjects, work given to pupils does not routinely focus on the most important knowledge they need to learn, sometimes preventing them from making connections with prior learning
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Cookery club, karate club, instrumental lessons, sports activities, sports leaders role, digital leaders role, annual pantomime, outdoor stage performances
St Paul's CofE Primary School is an inclusive and friendly school where pupils enjoy their learning and thrive. The school has maintained the high standards it was previously judged outstanding for, with effective teaching in early reading and mathematics, and strong pupil behaviour and personal development.
At a Glance
13.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
86 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 improved from 77% to 97% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 80% to 97% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 83% to 88% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.2
Avg class size
33.0
KS2
11
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 Paul's CofE Primary School
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to St Paul's CofE Primary School, with their latest published grades:
- Busy Bees Day Nursery at Sunderland Ryhope Village - Day nursery, under 0.1 milesOfsted, 16 May 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- B2B Plus Project - Day nursery, 0.4 milesOfsted, 21 July 2021: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Mill Hill Childcare - Day nursery, 1.3 milesOfsted, 23 August 2021: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Helpinghands Childcare - Day nursery, 1.4 milesOfsted, 8 November 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Harbour View Kindergarten - Day nursery, 1.8 milesOfsted report card, 5 June 2026: Strong standard in 4 areas, Expected standard in 2 areas; safeguarding standards met
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Paul's CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Paul's CofE 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
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
4 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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Paul's CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at St Paul's CofE Primary School?
For 2026 entry it had 68 first choices for 45 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
275 pupils
315 places
40 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
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: 1.5 first choices per place
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Primary Planning Area 12 planning area (Sunderland) will have 294 spare primary places in 2027/28.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
78
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
26.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
332
Total Pupils
170
Boys
162
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
19.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,279
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,984
Per pupil
£1531k
Total funding
£53k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
8.2%
Persistent absence
233
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 Paul's CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Paul's CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Paul's CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 97% reached the expected standard in reading and 97% did so in maths.
What is St Paul's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Paul's CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in November 2018, it was rated Outstanding.
Is it hard to get a place at St Paul's CofE Primary School?
St Paul's CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Classes at St Paul's CofE Primary School average 30.2 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils.
How many pupils go to St Paul's CofE Primary School?
St Paul's CofE Primary School has around 332 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Paul's CofE Primary School?
4.2% of sessions were missed at St Paul's CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 8.2% of pupils were persistently absent.
How many road collisions happen near St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 4 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 Paul's CofE Primary School?
St Paul's CofE Primary School is at Waterworks Road, Ryhope, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR2 0LW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)