Richard Coates Church of England Primary School
Thornhill Road, Ponteland, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE20 9QB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- PELE TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr James Watson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Hexham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 380
- Pupils on roll
- 328
- URN
- 145784
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01661823167
About this school
Richard Coates Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 328 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Richard Coates Church of England Primary 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 July 2023, 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 | 29 | 54 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 72% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 6% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 72% | 85% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 69% | 81% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 72% | 70% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.30 | - | - |
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 Richard Coates Church of England Primary 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 | Northumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 59% | 54.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 52.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 56% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 334 |
| 2023/24 | 331 |
| 2024/25 | 311 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Richard Coates Church of England Primary School compares
Richard Coates Church of England Primary School ranked 30th of 72 primary schools in Northumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 5.5% | 10.8% | 328 | — |
| Ponteland Primary School | 70% | 4.4% | 7.8% | 479 | 0.0 miles |
| Ponteland Community Primary School | 65% | 5.5% | 16.5% | 274 | 0.7 miles |
| Darras Hall Primary School | 78% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 459 | 1.3 miles |
| Dinnington First School | — | 4.2% | 16.7% | 320 | 3.0 miles |
| Havannah First School | — | 3.7% | 6% | 331 | 3.6 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)
- 10.8%
- English as an additional language
- 4.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.45%
- Persistent absence
- 14.34%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ponteland Primary School0.0 miles
Primary
-
Ponteland Community Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Darras Hall Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Dinnington First School3.0 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Havannah First School3.6 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Other schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Richard Coates Church of England Primary School ranks 52nd 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 ages does Richard Coates Church of England Primary School teach?
- Richard Coates Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- Who is the headteacher of Richard Coates Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Richard Coates Church of England Primary School is Mr James Watson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Richard Coates Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Richard Coates Church of England Primary 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 Richard Coates Church of England Primary School?
- Richard Coates Church of England Primary School has 328 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Richard Coates Church of England Primary School full?
- Richard Coates Church of England Primary School has capacity for 380 pupils and 328 on roll (86%), 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 Richard Coates Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Richard Coates Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Newcastle.
- Does Richard Coates Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Richard Coates Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Richard Coates Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Richard Coates Church of England Primary School is part of PELE TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Richard Coates Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 59% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Richard Coates Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Northumberland?
- Richard Coates Church of England Primary School ranked 30th of 72 primary schools in Northumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Richard Coates Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Richard Coates Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Richard Coates Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Richard Coates Church of England Primary 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 10 July 2026.