St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields
Nash Avenue, Whiteleas, South Shields, NE34 8NS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Dominic Woodhouse
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- South Shields
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 256
- Pupils on roll
- 226
- URN
- 148911
- Local authority
- South Tyneside
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01915367922
About this school
St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields is a Roman Catholic primary academy in South Shields. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 226 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields, 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 January 2025, 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 | 25 | 29 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 66% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 7% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 84% | 83% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 88% | 76% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 66% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.70 | - | - |
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 Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields 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 | 68% | 60.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 66% | 59.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 60.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 226 |
| 2023/24 | 234 |
| 2024/25 | 225 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields compares
St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields ranked 16th of 38 primary schools in South Tyneside for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% 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 | 68% | 5% | 38.3% | 226 | — |
| Forest View Primary | 67% | 5.4% | 52% | 213 | 0.5 miles |
| Ridgeway Primary Academy | 51% | 6.8% | 49.6% | 452 | 0.7 miles |
| Biddick Hall Junior School | 87% | 5% | 68% | 211 | 0.7 miles |
| Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) | 62% | 4.8% | 70.5% | 228 | 0.7 miles |
| Biddick Hall Infants' School | — | 5% | 67.9% | 219 | 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)
- 38.31%
- English as an additional language
- 4%
- Overall absence
- 5.03%
- Persistent absence
- 13.14%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Forest View Primary0.5 miles
Primary · South Shields
-
Ridgeway Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · South Shields
-
Biddick Hall Junior School0.7 miles
Primary · South Shields
-
Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields)0.7 miles
Primary · South Shields
-
Biddick Hall Infants' School0.8 miles
Primary · South Shields
Other schools in South Shields
St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields ranks 7th of the 18 ranked primary schools in South Shields.
- Ashley Academy Primary
- Biddick Hall Infants' School Primary
- Biddick Hall Junior School Primary
- Forest View Primary Primary
- Hadrian Primary School Primary
- Harton Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church of England Academy (South Shields) Primary
- Laygate Community School Primary
- Lord Blyton Primary School Primary
- Marine Park Primary School Primary
- Monkton Academy Primary
- Monkton Infants' School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields teach?
- St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in South Shields.
- Who is the headteacher of St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields?
- The headteacher of St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields is Mr Dominic Woodhouse, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields, 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 St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields?
- St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields has 226 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields full?
- St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields has capacity for 256 pupils and 226 on roll (88%), 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 Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields a faith school?
- Yes. St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields as having nursery classes.
- Is St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields part of an academy trust?
- St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields 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 Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 68% 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 Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields compare with other schools in South Tyneside?
- St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields ranked 16th of 38 primary schools in South Tyneside for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% 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 St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields's absence rate?
- St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields'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.