Atkinson Road Primary Academy
Atkinson Road, Benwell, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE4 8XT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE LAIDLAW SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lisa Macaulay
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Laidlaw Schools Trust
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 524
- Pupils on roll
- 395
- URN
- 138212
- Local authority
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01912730452
About this school
Atkinson Road Primary Academy is a primary academy in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 395 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Atkinson Road Primary Academy, 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
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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- 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 | 43 | 63 | 50 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 51% | 55% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 6% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 53% | 63% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 65% | 65% | 78% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 47% | 49% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.70 | - | - |
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 Atkinson Road Primary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Newcastle upon Tyne average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 51% | 59.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 60.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 62.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 394 |
| 2023/24 | 425 |
| 2024/25 | 377 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Atkinson Road Primary Academy compares
Atkinson Road Primary Academy ranked 25th of 68 primary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 5.3% | 73% | 395 | — |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Benwell | 68% | 5.3% | 51.8% | 224 | 0.1 miles |
| West Newcastle Academy | 57% | 8.5% | 50.8% | 181 | 0.2 miles |
| Canning Street Primary School | 47% | 8.4% | 69.5% | 453 | 0.4 miles |
| St Johns Primary School | 50% | 3.9% | 71.6% | 226 | 0.4 miles |
| Bridgewater Primary School | 64% | 4.4% | 55.1% | 466 | 0.4 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)
- 72.98%
- English as an additional language
- 62.1%
- Overall absence
- 5.31%
- Persistent absence
- 14.85%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Benwell0.1 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
West Newcastle Academy0.2 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Canning Street Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
St Johns Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Bridgewater Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Other schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Atkinson Road Primary Academy ranks 37th of the 94 ranked primary schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- Amberley Primary School Primary
- Archbishop Runcie CofE First School Primary
- Archibald First School Primary
- Backworth Park Primary School Primary
- Balliol Primary School Primary
- Balliol Primary School Primary
- Beech Hill Primary School Primary
- Belsay Primary School Primary
- Benton Dene Primary School Primary
- Benton Park Primary School Primary
- Bridgewater Primary School Primary
- Broadwood Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Atkinson Road Primary Academy teach?
- Atkinson Road Primary Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- Who is the headteacher of Atkinson Road Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Atkinson Road Primary Academy is Mrs Lisa Macaulay, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Atkinson Road Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Atkinson Road Primary Academy, 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 Atkinson Road Primary Academy?
- Atkinson Road Primary Academy has 395 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Atkinson Road Primary Academy full?
- Atkinson Road Primary Academy has capacity for 524 pupils and 395 on roll (75%), so it has space against 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 Atkinson Road Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Atkinson Road Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Atkinson Road Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Atkinson Road Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Atkinson Road Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Atkinson Road Primary Academy is part of THE LAIDLAW SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Atkinson Road Primary Academy have?
- The schools register lists Atkinson Road Primary Academy's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Atkinson Road Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 51% in 2022/23 and 72% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Atkinson Road Primary Academy compare with other schools in Newcastle upon Tyne?
- Atkinson Road Primary Academy ranked 25th of 68 primary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Atkinson Road Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Atkinson Road Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Atkinson Road Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Atkinson Road Primary Academy'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 1 July 2026.