Portobello Primary School
Tamerton Drive, Birtley, Chester le Street, DH3 2LY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jayne Humphrey
- Constituency
- Washington and Gateshead South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 189
- Pupils on roll
- 182
- URN
- 108336
- Local authority
- Gateshead
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01914104571
About this school
Portobello Primary School is a community primary school in Chester le Street. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 182 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Portobello Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 October 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 31 | 28 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 61% | 75% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 11% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 79% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 86% | 81% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 86% | 84% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.10 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Portobello Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Gateshead average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 61% | 61.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 61.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 63.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 195 |
| 2023/24 | 196 |
| 2024/25 | 188 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Portobello Primary School compares
Portobello Primary School ranked 24th of 62 primary schools in Gateshead for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 4.3% | 18.1% | 182 | — |
| Barley Mow Primary School | 57% | 7.4% | 45.1% | 155 | 0.2 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley | 76% | 3.6% | 30.9% | 105 | 0.5 miles |
| Ravensworth Terrace Primary School | 60% | 4.6% | 22.8% | 362 | 0.8 miles |
| Holley Park Academy | 74% | 3.7% | 11.5% | 204 | 0.9 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley | — | 3.7% | 27.3% | 68 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 18.09%
- English as an additional language
- 5.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.31%
- Persistent absence
- 12.79%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Barley Mow Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
-
St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley0.5 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
-
Ravensworth Terrace Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
-
Holley Park Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Washington
-
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley0.9 miles
Primary · Chester le Street
Other schools in Chester le Street
Portobello Primary School ranks 8th of the 16 ranked primary schools in Chester le Street.
- Barley Mow Primary School Primary
- Bullion Lane Primary School Primary
- Cestria Primary School Primary
- Chester-Le-Street CofE (Controlled) Primary School Primary
- Lumley Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Lumley Junior School Primary
- Nettlesworth Primary School Primary
- Newker Primary School Primary
- Ouston Primary School Primary
- Pelton Community Primary School Primary
- Ravensworth Terrace Primary School Primary
- Red Rose Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Portobello Primary School teach?
- Portobello Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Chester le Street.
- Who is the headteacher of Portobello Primary School?
- The headteacher of Portobello Primary School is Mrs Jayne Humphrey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Portobello Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Portobello Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Portobello Primary School?
- Portobello Primary School has 182 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Portobello Primary School full?
- Portobello Primary School has capacity for 189 pupils and 182 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Portobello Primary School a faith school?
- No. Portobello Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Portobello Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Portobello Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Portobello Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 61% in 2022/23 and 71% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Portobello Primary School compare with other schools in Gateshead?
- Portobello Primary School ranked 24th of 62 primary schools in Gateshead for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Portobello Primary School's absence rate?
- Portobello Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Portobello Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Portobello Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.