St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn
Solway Road, Hebburn, NE31 2BP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Francesca Heslop
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Jarrow and Gateshead East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 160
- URN
- 148778
- Local authority
- South Tyneside
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01914832672
About this school
St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Hebburn. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 160 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 23 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 57% | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | 10% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 93% | 70% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 67% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 83% | 80% | 77% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 105.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.50 | - | - |
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 St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | South Tyneside average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70% | 60.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 59.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73% | 60.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 201 |
| 2023/24 | 175 |
| 2024/25 | 172 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn compares
St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn ranked 11th of 38 primary schools in South Tyneside for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 5.3% | 22.1% | 160 | — |
| Hebburn Lakes Primary School | 31% | 4.7% | 45.9% | 456 | 0.2 miles |
| Bede Burn Primary School | 54% | 4.8% | 19.4% | 198 | 0.5 miles |
| Toner Avenue Primary School | 57% | 5.4% | 35.7% | 512 | 0.5 miles |
| St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Jarrow | 48% | 4.3% | 12.5% | 209 | 0.7 miles |
| Valley View Primary School | 70% | 4.1% | 22.9% | 251 | 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 22.09%
- English as an additional language
- 4.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.31%
- Persistent absence
- 11.84%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hebburn Lakes Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Hebburn
-
Bede Burn Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Jarrow
-
Toner Avenue Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Hebburn
-
St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Jarrow0.7 miles
Primary · Jarrow
-
Valley View Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Jarrow
Other schools in Hebburn
St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn ranks 1st of the 5 ranked primary schools in Hebburn.
- Hebburn Lakes Primary School Primary
- St Aloysius Catholic Infant School, Hebburn Primary
- St Aloysius Catholic Junior School Academy Primary
- St Oswald's CofE Aided Primary School Primary
- Toner Avenue Primary School Primary
- The Sue Hedley Nursery School Nursery
- Hebburn Comprehensive School Secondary
- St Joseph's Catholic Academy Secondary
- Groundwork South and North Tyneside Other types
- Keelman's Way School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn teach?
- St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Hebburn.
- Who is the headteacher of St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn?
- The headteacher of St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn is Mrs Francesca Heslop, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn, 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 St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn?
- St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn has 160 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn full?
- St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn has capacity for 210 pupils and 160 on roll (76%), 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 St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn a faith school?
- Yes. St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn?
- St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn is part of BISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn'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 73% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn rank locally?
- St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn ranked 11th of 38 primary schools in South Tyneside for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn's absence rate?
- St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn'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.