Thomas Walling Primary Academy
Lindfield Avenue, Blakelaw, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE5 3PL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE LAIDLAW SCHOOLS TRUST
- Principal
- Ms Rebecca Hann
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Laidlaw Schools Trust
- Constituency
- Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 488
- Pupils on roll
- 412
- URN
- 140788
- Local authority
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01912860333
About this school
Thomas Walling Primary Academy is a primary academy in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 412 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 59 | 57 | 53 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 76% | 72% | 77% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 11% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 79% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 86% | 74% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 92% | 77% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.90 | - | - |
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 Thomas Walling 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 | 76% | 59.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 60.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 77% | 62.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 424 |
| 2023/24 | 437 |
| 2024/25 | 417 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thomas Walling Primary Academy compares
Thomas Walling Primary Academy ranked 16th of 68 primary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 77% | 5.9% | 66% | 412 | — |
| Hilton Primary Academy | 80% | 6.1% | 54.6% | 415 | 0.3 miles |
| English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Fenham | 52% | 5.6% | 38.1% | 472 | 0.3 miles |
| Stocksfield Avenue Primary School | 67% | 6.7% | 46.2% | 441 | 0.7 miles |
| Sacred Heart Primary School | 68% | 2.9% | 25.1% | 241 | 0.8 miles |
| Farne Primary School | 73% | 5.9% | 50.5% | 239 | 0.8 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report22 January 2025
- 19 May 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 65.98%
- English as an additional language
- 35.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.88%
- Persistent absence
- 15.77%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hilton Primary Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Fenham0.3 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Stocksfield Avenue Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Sacred Heart Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Farne Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Other schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Thomas Walling Primary Academy ranks 25th of the 94 ranked primary schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- Amberley Primary School Primary
- Archbishop Runcie CofE First School Primary
- Archibald First School Primary
- Atkinson Road Primary Academy 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
Common questions
- What year groups does Thomas Walling Primary Academy teach?
- Thomas Walling Primary Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- Who is the principal of Thomas Walling Primary Academy?
- The principal of Thomas Walling Primary Academy is Ms Rebecca Hann, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Thomas Walling Primary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Thomas Walling 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 big is Thomas Walling Primary Academy?
- Thomas Walling Primary Academy has 412 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Thomas Walling Primary Academy full?
- Thomas Walling Primary Academy has capacity for 488 pupils and 412 on roll (84%), 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 Thomas Walling Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Thomas Walling Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Thomas Walling Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Thomas Walling Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Thomas Walling Primary Academy?
- Thomas Walling 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.
- How have Thomas Walling Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 76% in 2022/23 and 77% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Thomas Walling Primary Academy rank locally?
- Thomas Walling Primary Academy ranked 16th of 68 primary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Thomas Walling Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Thomas Walling Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Thomas Walling Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thomas Walling 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.