The Drive Community Primary School, Gateshead

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 211

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~493m)Possible (~704m)Unlikely (~915m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs R Farren
Pupils:213 / 219 capacity
LA:Gateshead
Phone:01914210390
Address:The Drive, Felling, Gateshead, NE10 0PY
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:108361
UKPRN:10072213
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Jarrow and Gateshead East
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The Drive Community Primary School creates a happy, stimulating environment where children flourish. Teachers are skilled and enthusiastic, using excellent subject knowledge to help pupils achieve above average results. Children develop strong character, behave exceptionally well, and feel genuinely safe and cared for by adults.

Key Strengths

  • Teaching and learning have improved significantly, with pupils achieving above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics
  • Strong leadership at all levels with passionate subject leaders driving continuous improvement
  • Excellent behaviour and positive relationships - pupils are polite, well-behaved and feel safe and valued
  • Early years provision is strong with good support for children with speech and language needs
  • Comprehensive safeguarding systems and procedures in place

Areas for Improvement

  • Attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs remains below national averages and requires urgent focus
  • Early years pupil premium funding impact needs more thorough evaluation, especially for the most able disadvantaged children
  • Communication with parents and carers needs improvement - some concerns raised about approachability and availability of leaders
  • Website compliance regarding pupil premium reporting needs urgent attention

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective with detailed records, regular staff training, secure site access systems, and strong partnership working with external agencies.

Extracurricular Activities

Sports leader roles, house captain positions, school council, phonics workshops for parents

The Drive Community Primary School continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained high quality education and created a safe, stimulating environment where pupils thrive and feel confident.

At a Glance

51.4%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-19ppMaths-5ppWriting+11pp

Reading has declined from 85% to 66%. Maths has declined from 81% to 76%. Writing has improved from 65% to 76%.

Class Sizes

27.3

Avg class size

20.5

Infant (KS1)

29.3

KS2

6

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Heworth Rail Station
272m · 4 min walk

Tube / Metro / Tram

Heworth (Tyne and Wear Metro Station) (platform 2)
260m · 4 min walk

Bus Stops

The Drive (NE-Bound)
115m · 2 min walk
Sunderland Road-Ridley Terrace (E-Bound)
122m · 2 min walk
Sunderland Road-Bungalows (W-Bound)
128m · 2 min walk
The Drive-The Green (SW-Bound)
137m · 2 min walk
The Drive-School (E-Bound)
142m · 2 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

97%

Near capacity

213 pupils

219 capacity

6 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Gateshead

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,960
Projected new pupils:490

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Gateshead

Admissions Demand - Gateshead

Low demand0.71x oversubscription

Places available

2,504

Applications

1,789

Got 1st preference

96.9%

Got preferred school

99.8%

Primary admissions across Gateshead (2025/26)

Inspection History(106)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

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.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

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.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.41208%

Overall absence

18.93491%

Persistent absence

169

Enrolments

Authorised4.01108%
Unauthorised2.40101%
Persistent (10%+)18.93491%
Severe (50%+)0.59172%

Absence trend

5.44028%
18/19
3.94091%
20/21
8.2112%
21/22
7.30452%
22/23
6.95095%
23/24
6.41208%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.