Dryden School
Shotley Gardens, Low Fell, Gateshead, NE9 5UR
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Elizabeth Johnson
- Federation
- Dryden & Hill Top Learning Federation
- SEN provision
- SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Gateshead Central and Whickham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 77
- URN
- 131200
- Local authority
- Gateshead
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01914203812
About this school
Dryden School is a community special school in Gateshead. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 77 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Dryden School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 15 January 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Dryden 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57 |
| 2023/24 | 65 |
| 2024/25 | 71 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 48.28%
- English as an additional language
- 14.1%
- Overall absence
- 8.78%
- Persistent absence
- 25.42%
Location
Nearby schools
-
River Tyne Academy Gateshead0.3 miles
Academies · Gateshead
-
Gibside School0.5 miles
Special schools · Gateshead
-
Keser Torah Boys' School0.9 miles
Independent schools · Gateshead
-
Haskel School0.9 miles
Special schools · Gateshead
-
Gateshead Jewish Boarding School0.9 miles
Independent schools · Gateshead
Other schools in Gateshead
- Eslington Primary School Special schools
- Furrowfield School Special schools
- Gibside School Special schools
- Haskel School Special schools
- Hill Top School Special schools
- River Tyne Academy Gateshead Academies
- The Cedars Academy Academies
- Bensham Grove Nursery School Nursery
- Bede Community Primary School Primary
- Bill Quay Primary School Primary
- Brandling Primary School Primary
- Brighton Avenue Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Dryden School teach?
- Dryden School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a special school in Gateshead.
- Who is the headteacher of Dryden School?
- The headteacher of Dryden School is Mrs Elizabeth Johnson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Dryden School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Dryden 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 Dryden School?
- Dryden School has 77 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Dryden School a faith school?
- No. Dryden School has no designated religious character.
- Is Dryden School part of an academy trust?
- Dryden School is part of the Dryden & Hill Top Learning Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Dryden School have?
- The schools register lists Dryden School's special educational needs provision as: SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Dryden School's absence rate?
- Dryden School's overall absence rate is 8.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Dryden School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Dryden 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 14 July 2026.