Bernard Gilpin Primary School
Hall Lane, Houghton le Spring, DH5 8DA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Andrew Bainbridge
- Constituency
- Houghton and Sunderland South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 400
- Pupils on roll
- 417
- URN
- 108830
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01919172999
About this school
Bernard Gilpin Primary School is a community primary school in Houghton le Spring. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 417 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 66 | 52 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 86% | 83% | 87% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 24% | 23% | 28% |
| Expected standard in reading | 97% | 92% | 92% |
| Expected standard in maths | 97% | 96% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 98% | 96% | 92% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 111.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 110.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.80 | - | - |
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 Bernard Gilpin 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 | Sunderland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 86% | 60.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 83% | 63.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 87% | 63% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 414 |
| 2023/24 | 424 |
| 2024/25 | 422 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bernard Gilpin Primary School compares
Bernard Gilpin Primary School ranked 6th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 87% | 3.2% | 22.5% | 417 | — |
| St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton | 87% | 3.4% | 6% | 193 | 0.4 miles |
| Gillas Lane Primary Academy | 15% | 7.6% | 64.5% | 134 | 0.4 miles |
| Burnside Academy Inspires | 57% | 4.8% | 47.6% | 174 | 0.7 miles |
| Eppleton Academy Primary School | 62% | 3.9% | 34% | 208 | 0.8 miles |
| Newbottle Primary Academy | 68% | 4.4% | 14.4% | 437 | 1.0 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)
- 22.51%
- English as an additional language
- 2.1%
- Overall absence
- 3.22%
- Persistent absence
- 5.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton0.4 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Gillas Lane Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Burnside Academy Inspires0.7 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Eppleton Academy Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Newbottle Primary Academy1.0 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
Other schools in Houghton le Spring
Bernard Gilpin Primary School ranks 1st of the 17 ranked primary schools in Houghton le Spring.
- Barnwell Academy Primary
- Bournmoor Primary School Primary
- Burnside Academy Inspires Primary
- Dubmire Primary Primary
- Easington Lane Primary School Primary
- East Rainton Primary School Primary
- Eppleton Academy Primary School Primary
- Gillas Lane Primary Academy Primary
- Hetton Lyons Primary School Primary
- Hetton Primary School Primary
- New Penshaw Academy Primary
- Newbottle Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bernard Gilpin Primary School teach?
- Bernard Gilpin Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Houghton le Spring.
- Who is the headteacher of Bernard Gilpin Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bernard Gilpin Primary School is Mr Andrew Bainbridge, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bernard Gilpin Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bernard Gilpin 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 big is Bernard Gilpin Primary School?
- Bernard Gilpin Primary School has 417 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Bernard Gilpin Primary School full?
- Bernard Gilpin Primary School has capacity for 400 pupils and 417 on roll (104%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bernard Gilpin Primary School a faith school?
- No. Bernard Gilpin Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Bernard Gilpin Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bernard Gilpin Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Bernard Gilpin Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 86% in 2022/23 and 87% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bernard Gilpin Primary School rank locally?
- Bernard Gilpin Primary School ranked 6th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bernard Gilpin Primary School's absence rate?
- Bernard Gilpin Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bernard Gilpin Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bernard Gilpin 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.