St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton
Hillhead Road, West Denton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE5 1DN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Allyson Thorpe
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 473
- Pupils on roll
- 426
- URN
- 148977
- Local authority
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01912672233
About this school
St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 426 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton, 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 60 | 55 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 71% | 77% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 13% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 89% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 88% | 87% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 85% | 87% | 88% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.50 | - | - |
| 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 St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Newcastle upon Tyne average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70% | 59.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 60.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 77% | 62.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 459 |
| 2023/24 | 445 |
| 2024/25 | 442 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton compares
St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton ranked 14th of 68 primary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% 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 | 77% | 5% | 21.2% | 426 | — |
| West Denton Primary School | 48% | 6.8% | 57.8% | 316 | 0.1 miles |
| Milecastle Primary School | 77% | 3.6% | 20.5% | 185 | 0.5 miles |
| Knop Law Primary School | 83% | 3.8% | 25.4% | 398 | 0.5 miles |
| Westerhope Primary School | 70% | 6.2% | 36.8% | 426 | 0.6 miles |
| Beech Hill Primary School | 79% | 6.1% | 55.9% | 441 | 0.7 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)
- 21.22%
- English as an additional language
- 6.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.03%
- Persistent absence
- 11.73%
Location
Nearby schools
-
West Denton Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Milecastle Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Knop Law Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Westerhope Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Beech Hill Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Other schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton ranks 23rd 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 St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton teach?
- St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- Who is the headteacher of St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton?
- The headteacher of St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton is Mrs Allyson Thorpe, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton, 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 John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton?
- St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton has 426 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton full?
- St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton has capacity for 473 pupils and 426 on roll (90%), 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 John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton a faith school?
- Yes. St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton as having nursery classes.
- Is St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton part of an academy trust?
- St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton 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 St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton'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 77% 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 John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton compare with other schools in Newcastle upon Tyne?
- St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton ranked 14th of 68 primary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% 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 John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton's absence rate?
- St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton'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.