Gillas Lane Primary Academy
Seaton Avenue, Houghton le Spring, DH5 8EH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- AIM HIGH ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kay Straughan
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Aim High Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Houghton and Sunderland South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 134
- URN
- 143493
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01915005956
About this school
Gillas Lane Primary Academy is a primary academy in Houghton le Spring. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 134 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Gillas Lane 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 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 | 21 | 19 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 58% | 15% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 11% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 74% | 15% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 68% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 74% | 31% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 97.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 101.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.40 | - | - |
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 Gillas Lane 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 | Sunderland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 67% | 60.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 63.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 15% | 63% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 136 |
| 2023/24 | 132 |
| 2024/25 | 143 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Gillas Lane Primary Academy compares
Gillas Lane Primary Academy ranked 75th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 15% | 7.6% | 64.5% | 134 | — |
| Bernard Gilpin Primary School | 87% | 3.2% | 22.5% | 417 | 0.4 miles |
| Eppleton Academy Primary School | 62% | 3.9% | 34% | 208 | 0.5 miles |
| St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton | 87% | 3.4% | 6% | 193 | 0.7 miles |
| Burnside Academy Inspires | 57% | 4.8% | 47.6% | 174 | 1.1 miles |
| Newbottle Primary Academy | 68% | 4.4% | 14.4% | 437 | 1.3 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)
- 64.46%
- English as an additional language
- 4.9%
- Overall absence
- 7.56%
- Persistent absence
- 30.63%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bernard Gilpin Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Eppleton Academy Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton0.7 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Burnside Academy Inspires1.1 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Newbottle Primary Academy1.3 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
Other schools in Houghton le Spring
Gillas Lane Primary Academy ranks 17th of the 17 ranked primary schools in Houghton le Spring.
- Barnwell Academy Primary
- Bernard Gilpin Primary School 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
- Hetton Lyons Primary School Primary
- Hetton Primary School Primary
- New Penshaw Academy Primary
- Newbottle Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Gillas Lane Primary Academy teach?
- Gillas Lane Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Houghton le Spring.
- Who is the headteacher of Gillas Lane Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Gillas Lane Primary Academy is Mrs Kay Straughan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Gillas Lane Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Gillas Lane 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 Gillas Lane Primary Academy?
- Gillas Lane Primary Academy has 134 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Gillas Lane Primary Academy full?
- Gillas Lane Primary Academy has capacity for 150 pupils and 134 on roll (89%), 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 Gillas Lane Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Gillas Lane Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Gillas Lane Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Gillas Lane Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Gillas Lane Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Gillas Lane Primary Academy is part of AIM HIGH ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Gillas Lane Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 15% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Gillas Lane Primary Academy compare with other schools in Sunderland?
- Gillas Lane Primary Academy ranked 75th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Gillas Lane Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Gillas Lane Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 7.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Gillas Lane Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Gillas Lane 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 10 July 2026.