Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay
Seatonville Road, Whitley Bay, NE25 9EG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kathryn DiMambro
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Tynemouth
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 330
- URN
- 148451
- Local authority
- North Tyneside
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01913130490
About this school
Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Whitley Bay. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 330 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay, 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 9 May 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 | 56 | 49 | 52 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 63% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 2% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 84% | 87% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 73% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 73% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.30 | - | - |
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 Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | North Tyneside average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 66% | 55.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 63% | 57.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 58.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 376 |
| 2023/24 | 367 |
| 2024/25 | 349 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay compares
Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay ranked 22nd of 50 primary schools in North Tyneside 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 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 5.2% | 21.7% | 330 | — |
| Appletree Gardens First School | — | 5.3% | 32.7% | 292 | 0.3 miles |
| Langley First School | — | 3.7% | 8.5% | 295 | 0.4 miles |
| Preston Grange Primary School | 72% | 3.3% | 17.4% | 216 | 0.5 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Cullercoats | 64% | 3.5% | 17.3% | 185 | 0.7 miles |
| Monkhouse Primary School | 87% | 3.7% | 18.1% | 215 | 1.0 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)
- 21.74%
- English as an additional language
- 5.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.18%
- Persistent absence
- 13.7%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Appletree Gardens First School0.3 miles
Primary · Whitley Bay
-
Langley First School0.4 miles
Primary · Whitley Bay
-
Preston Grange Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · North Shields
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Cullercoats0.7 miles
Primary · North Shields
-
Monkhouse Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · North Shields
Other schools in Whitley Bay
Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay ranks 4th of the 7 ranked primary schools in Whitley Bay.
- Appletree Gardens First School Primary
- Coquet Park First School Primary
- Holywell Village First School Primary
- Langley First School Primary
- Marine Park First School Primary
- New Hartley First School Primary
- Rockcliffe First School Primary
- Seaton Delaval First School Primary
- Seaton Sluice First School Primary
- South Wellfield First School Primary
- Southridge First School Primary
- Whitley Lodge First School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay teach?
- Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Whitley Bay.
- Who is the headteacher of Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay?
- The headteacher of Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay is Mrs Kathryn DiMambro, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay, 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 Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay?
- Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay has 330 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay full?
- Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay has capacity for 420 pupils and 330 on roll (79%), 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 Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay a faith school?
- Yes. Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay as having nursery classes.
- Is Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay part of an academy trust?
- Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay is part of BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% 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 Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay compare with other schools in North Tyneside?
- Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay ranked 22nd of 50 primary schools in North Tyneside 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 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay's absence rate?
- Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay'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.