Fatfield Academy
Southcroft, Fatfield, Washington, NE38 8RB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- INSPIRE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nicky Dowdle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Inspire Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Washington and Gateshead South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 233
- URN
- 142997
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01914166728
About this school
Fatfield Academy is a primary academy in Washington. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 233 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 5 June 2024, 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 | 30 | 22 | 27 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 82% | 74% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 18% | 22% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 95% | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% | 95% | 85% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 86% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.40 | - | - |
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 Fatfield 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 | Sunderland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70% | 60.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 82% | 63.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 74% | 63% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 214 |
| 2023/24 | 212 |
| 2024/25 | 228 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Fatfield Academy compares
Fatfield Academy ranked 25th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74% | 5% | 20% | 233 | — |
| Biddick Primary School | 83% | 4.5% | 13.7% | 285 | 0.9 miles |
| John F Kennedy Primary School | 65% | 6.1% | 25.9% | 412 | 1.0 miles |
| Lambton Primary School | 38% | 5.9% | 26.7% | 179 | 1.0 miles |
| New Penshaw Academy | 58% | 7.6% | 48.7% | 112 | 1.1 miles |
| Wessington Primary School | 23% | 6.2% | 48.5% | 218 | 1.1 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)
- 20%
- English as an additional language
- 2.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.04%
- Persistent absence
- 7.95%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Biddick Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Washington
-
John F Kennedy Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Washington
-
Lambton Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Washington
-
New Penshaw Academy1.1 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Wessington Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Washington
Other schools in Washington
Fatfield Academy ranks 6th of the 17 ranked primary schools in Washington.
- Albany Village Primary School Primary
- Barmston Village Primary School Primary
- Biddick Primary School Primary
- Blackfell Primary School Primary
- George Washington Primary School Primary
- Holley Park Academy Primary
- John F Kennedy Primary School Primary
- Lambton Primary School Primary
- Marlborough Primary School Primary
- Oxclose Primary Academy Primary
- Rickleton Primary School Primary
- St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Fatfield Academy teach?
- Fatfield Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Washington.
- Who is the headteacher of Fatfield Academy?
- The headteacher of Fatfield Academy is Mrs Nicky Dowdle, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Fatfield Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Fatfield 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 Fatfield Academy?
- Fatfield Academy has 233 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Fatfield Academy full?
- Fatfield Academy has capacity for 240 pupils and 233 on roll (97%), 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 Fatfield Academy a faith school?
- No. Fatfield Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Fatfield Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Fatfield Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Fatfield Academy?
- Fatfield Academy is part of INSPIRE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Fatfield Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 74% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Fatfield Academy rank locally?
- Fatfield Academy ranked 25th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Fatfield Academy's absence rate?
- Fatfield Academy's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Fatfield Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Fatfield 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 2 July 2026.