Northern Saints Church of England Academy
Rotherham Road, Sunderland, SR5 5QL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Rachel Heaney
- Diocese
- Diocese of Durham
- Sponsor
- Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
- Constituency
- Washington and Gateshead South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 630
- Pupils on roll
- 423
- URN
- 149524
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01919171685
About this school
Northern Saints Church of England Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Sunderland. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 423 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Northern Saints Church of England Academy, 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 no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 74 | 72 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 107.0 |
Trends over time
How Northern Saints Church of England Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Sunderland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 60.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 63.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 63% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 517 |
| 2023/24 | 482 |
| 2024/25 | 455 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Northern Saints Church of England Academy compares
Northern Saints Church of England Academy ranked 36th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland 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 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 6.7% | 57.1% | 423 | — |
| Willow Wood Community Primary School | 75% | 6.4% | 68.3% | 290 | 0.5 miles |
| English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Sunderland | 68% | 5.5% | 34.5% | 178 | 0.5 miles |
| Castletown Primary School | 76% | 5.7% | 29.9% | 347 | 0.9 miles |
| St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland | 54% | 5.5% | 25.8% | 203 | 1.0 miles |
| Hylton Castle Primary School | 43% | 4.8% | 46.3% | 229 | 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)
- 57.14%
- English as an additional language
- 3.3%
- Overall absence
- 6.67%
- Persistent absence
- 20.05%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Willow Wood Community Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Sunderland
-
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Sunderland0.5 miles
Primary · Sunderland
-
Castletown Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Sunderland
-
St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland1.0 miles
Primary · Sunderland
-
Hylton Castle Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Sunderland
Other schools in Sunderland
Northern Saints Church of England Academy ranks 24th of the 43 ranked primary schools in Sunderland.
- Barnes Infant Academy Primary
- Barnes Junior School Primary
- Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy Primary
- Bexhill Academy Primary
- Broadway Junior School Primary
- Castletown Primary School Primary
- Cleadon Church of England Academy Primary
- Dame Dorothy Primary School Primary
- Diamond Hall Infant Academy Primary
- Diamond Hall Junior Academy Primary
- East Herrington Primary Academy Primary
- English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Northern Saints Church of England Academy teach?
- Northern Saints Church of England Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Sunderland.
- Who is the headteacher of Northern Saints Church of England Academy?
- The headteacher of Northern Saints Church of England Academy is Miss Rachel Heaney, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Northern Saints Church of England Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Northern Saints Church of England Academy, 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 Northern Saints Church of England Academy?
- Northern Saints Church of England Academy has 423 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Northern Saints Church of England Academy full?
- Northern Saints Church of England Academy has capacity for 630 pupils and 423 on roll (67%), 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 Northern Saints Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Northern Saints Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Durham.
- Does Northern Saints Church of England Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Northern Saints Church of England Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Is Northern Saints Church of England Academy part of an academy trust?
- Northern Saints Church of England Academy is part of DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Northern Saints Church of England Academy have?
- The schools register lists Northern Saints Church of England Academy's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Northern Saints Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 73% in 2023/24 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 Northern Saints Church of England Academy compare with other schools in Sunderland?
- Northern Saints Church of England Academy ranked 36th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland 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 29% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Northern Saints Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- Northern Saints Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 6.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Northern Saints Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Northern Saints Church of England Academy'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.