St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham
Duckpool Lane, Whickham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE16 4HB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Joseph Wheatley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Sponsor
- Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Gateshead Central and Whickham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 189
- URN
- 149053
- Local authority
- Gateshead
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01914205828
About this school
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 189 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 8 May 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 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 79% | 53% | 90% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 7% | 26% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 83% | 100% |
| Expected standard in maths | 86% | 63% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 83% | 70% | 97% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 | 111.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 104.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.40 | - | - |
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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Gateshead average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 79% | 61.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 53% | 61.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 90% | 63.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 2.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 207 |
| 2023/24 | 198 |
| 2024/25 | 189 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham compares
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham ranked 2nd of 62 primary schools in Gateshead for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 97% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 99% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 90% | 2.9% | 6.4% | 189 | — |
| Washingwell Community Primary School | 57% | 4.3% | 20.4% | 181 | 0.4 miles |
| Swalwell Primary School | 54% | 8.1% | 56.4% | 141 | 0.5 miles |
| Front Street Community Primary School | 82% | 3.7% | 15% | 413 | 0.5 miles |
| Dunston Hill Community Primary School | 60% | 5% | 27% | 362 | 0.7 miles |
| Fellside Community Primary School | 90% | 3.1% | 7% | 235 | 0.9 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)
- 6.35%
- English as an additional language
- 2.1%
- Overall absence
- 2.85%
- Persistent absence
- 1.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Washingwell Community Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Swalwell Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Front Street Community Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Dunston Hill Community Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Gateshead
-
Fellside Community Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Other schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham ranks 2nd 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 year groups does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham teach?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham?
- The headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham is Mr Joseph Wheatley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham, 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham has 189 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham full?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham has capacity for 210 pupils and 189 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham is part of BISHOP WILKINSON 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 79% in 2022/23 and 90% 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham rank locally?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham ranked 2nd of 62 primary schools in Gateshead for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 97% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 99% 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 Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham's absence rate?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham's overall absence rate is 2.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham'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.