St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston, Gateshead
St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Gateshead, part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 16th-highest of the 35 schools in Gateshead with published results, and 7,071st of 14,452 across England. It was 82% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- 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 Gateshead (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston in detail
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 79% in Gateshead and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 100% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston as their first choice and 42 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 Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston are Riverside Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 86% reading, 78% maths); St Aidan's Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, 96% reading, 85% maths); Dunston Hill Community Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 81% reading, 75% maths); and Lobley Hill Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 68% reading, 91% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston.
Riverside Primary AcademySt Aidan's Church of England Primary SchoolDunston Hill Community Primary SchoolLobley Hill Primary School
The trust
St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston is one of 47 schools run by Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
27.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (65%), Black (13%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 40 pupils (26.5%) received SEN support and 12 (7.9%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.
Staffing
St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Dunston Rail Station, about 350 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ellison Road-Catholic Church (s-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston issued 13 suspensions, 8.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston are Kingsmeadow Community School (0.7 miles) and Emmanuel College (0.9 miles).
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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 agoSt Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in November 2021. Before that, as St Philip Neri Roman Catholic Primary School (URN 108394), it was rated Good in April 2012.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils enjoy coming to school at St Philip Neri. Staff interact positively with pupils and get to know them and their families well. The school is ambitious that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) will achieve well. As a result, classrooms are purposeful, inclusive places where pupils from a range of backgrounds achieve increasingly well. Pupils respond positively to praise and are keen to collect house points.
The 'St Philip Neri Way' is a new initiative which sets expectations for how pupils should move around the building and behave. Pupils are proud to meet the high expectations the school sets for their behaviour. They are positive about learning.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's curriculum is broad and ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND and other disadvantaged pupils. The school has reviewed subject curriculums carefully and there are ongoing refinements to ensure consistency. Pupils achieve well. The school identifies the needs of individual pupils accurately. Appropriate adaptations and support ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, have opportunities to learn and access the full curriculum.
Teachers explain ideas clearly and model new learning accurately for pupils. They check pupils' understanding to inform their subsequent teaching and make adjustments to meet pupils' needs. Questioning is used well to check pupils' knowledge and identify misconceptions. Teachers ensure that pupils get time to practise new learning, which helps them build fluency. Recent work on the curriculum is having a positive impact. Pupils frequently revisit prior learning through planned recall activities, and as a result, remember what they have been taught. The school is rightly aware that continued refinements are needed in the curriculum to ensure consistency and that all pupils achieve as well as they can across the curriculum.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
At a Glance
31.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 93% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 100% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 89% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.2
Avg class size
24.5
Infant (KS1)
19.5
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston.
- Active Future Gateshead Wraparound Care720m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston is in Gateshead; for families living there:
Apply to Gateshead for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 24
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 20 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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 Gateshead is 11 (the median across 93 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 Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston
Will you get a place at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Gateshead, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Gateshead 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
82%
Available places
150 pupils
182 places
32 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Gateshead
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Gateshead
Across Gateshead council
Places available
2,494
Applications
1,785
Got 1st preference
98.1%
Got preferred school
99.8%
All primary applications across Gateshead council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
34.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
151
Total Pupils
88
Boys
63
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
15.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,364
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,898
Per pupil
£1012k
Total funding
£65k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
13.3%
Persistent absence
135
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 Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston
Questions parents ask about St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston
What are SATs results like at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston?
Of the pupils at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston's Ofsted rating?
St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in November 2021. Before that, as St Philip Neri Roman Catholic Primary School (URN 108394), it was rated Good in April 2012.
What is the catchment area for St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston?
No fixed boundary. When St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston is oversubscribed, Gateshead allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston?
St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston was not full in 2025: it ran at 82% of its 182 places.
How big are the classes at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston?
Classes at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston average 21.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston?
St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston has around 151 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston?
4.4% of sessions were missed at St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston in 2024/25. 13.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston?
Apply through Gateshead's coordinated admissions process, naming St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston 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.
Does St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston: Active Future Gateshead Wraparound Care (720m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 20 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Gateshead is 11 (the median across 93 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston?
St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston is at Ellison Road, Dunston, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 2QU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)