School Context Comparator

Exam results say a lot about a school's pupils, not just its teaching. A school where many children are disadvantaged or have special educational needs will usually have lower results, even if it's doing a great job. This compares each school with what you'd expect from the pupils it teaches.

Primary and junior schools in Newcastle upon Tyne: SATs results in context

% meeting the expected standard, average of the three years to 2024/25. Each numbered dot is a school (see the table below). Above the line means better results than you'd expect from its pupils; the shaded strip is "about what you'd expect".

  • Better than expected
  • About as expected
  • Below expected

The faint grey dots behind are every other school in England, for comparison.

Outlined in black: the school you compared (marked "Compared" in the table).

Green ring: low teacher turnover – among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay (three-year average).

20203030404050506060707080809090100100Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected % (from the school's pupils)Actual % meeting the expected standard12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152535455565758596061626364
20203030404050506060707080809090100100Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected %Actual % meeting the expected standard12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152535455565758596061626364

Loading stats for 13,485 schools across England…

Did you know? In a class of 30, one child moves a school's SATs percentage by more than 3 points - which is why we use a three-year average. How this works

How each school compares

# School Compared with what you'd expect Actual Expected Gap Disadvantaged SEN EAL Pupils(3 years) Teacher turnover(a year)
1 Tyneview Primary School Well above 79% 46% +33.1 77% 39% 3% 92 16%above average
2 Throckley Primary School Well above 89% 57% +32.5 51% 23% 10% 98 11%
3 Newburn Manor Primary School Well above 79% 53% +25.6 69% 17% 7% 85 9%
4 Hilton Primary Academy Well above 76% 51% +25.4 73% 29% 22% 168 16%above average
5 Thomas Walling Primary Academy Well above 75% 52% +23.0 70% 30% 34% 169 7%low
6 St Vincents Catholic Primary School, Newcastle Well above 81% 60% +21.4 47% 20% 30% 88 13%below average
7 St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, Gosforth Well above 87% 66% +20.6 10% 23% 13% 90 4%
8 Farne Primary School Well above 71% 51% +20.5 70% 27% 3% 89 15%above average
9 Beech Hill Primary School Compared Well above 74% 56% +17.9 61% 16% 14% 175 4%low
10 Kingston Park Primary School Well above 74% 57% +16.8 47% 27% 20% 154 5%low
11 St George's Catholic Primary School, Bells Close Well above 73% 56% +16.8 53% 27% 27% 41 17%
12 St Charles' Catholic Primary School Well above 86% 70% +16.4 13% 10% 23% 92 19%above average
13 St Lawrence's Catholic Primary School Well above 67% 51% +16.1 84% 26% 52% 89 17%above average
14 Walbottle Village Primary School Well above 69% 54% +15.2 54% 29% 4% 72 7%low
15 Bridgewater Primary School Well above 64% 50% +14.1 66% 47% 50% 177 6%low
16 West Jesmond Primary School Well above 82% 69% +13.5 18% 15% 41% 248 11%below average
17 Westerhope Primary School Above 65% 54% +11.2 60% 22% 0% 167 14%
18 St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Heaton Above 72% 61% +11.0 37% 26% 37% 87 4%
19 Waverley Primary School Above 65% 54% +11.0 37% 44% 0% 81 0%
20 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Benwell Above 69% 58% +10.9 58% 23% 55% 90 1%
21 Benton Park Primary School Above 73% 63% +10.4 25% 25% 16% 174 7%low
22 Hawthorn Primary School Above 66% 56% +9.7 76% 14% 59% 87 12%below average
23 West Denton Primary School Above 60% 51% +9.5 71% 29% 14% 126 10%
24 Cheviot Primary School Above 60% 51% +9.4 79% 24% 24% 88 13%below average
25 Chillingham Road Primary School Above 61% 52% +8.8 64% 32% 24% 82 14%above average
26 Lemington Riverside Primary School Above 56% 48% +8.1 61% 48% 9% 55 0%low
27 St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton Above 73% 65% +8.1 23% 15% 7% 175 15%above average
28 Knop Law Primary School Above 73% 65% +8.0 25% 11% 2% 160 11%
29 Cragside Primary School Above 74% 66% +7.8 16% 17% 9% 177 8%low
30 Byker Primary School Above 55% 47% +7.6 83% 32% 20% 174 21%high
31 Sacred Heart Primary School Above 71% 64% +6.7 35% 16% 42% 91 7%
32 St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, Kenton Above 67% 60% +6.7 34% 31% 34% 89 5%low
33 Walkergate Community School Above 61% 55% +6.5 56% 26% 10% 264 18%above average
34 St Paul's CofE Primary School Above 63% 57% +6.4 62% 24% 52% 100 21%high
35 English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Fenham Above 65% 59% +6.0 53% 20% 42% 181 10%below average
36 Atkinson Road Primary Academy Above 59% 54% +5.1 76% 24% 60% 156 13%below average
37 Central Walker Church of England Primary School As expected 54% 50% +4.4 85% 24% 31% 168 14%below average
38 Milecastle Primary School As expected 68% 64% +3.9 30% 10% 3% 82 41%
39 St Johns Primary School As expected 53% 49% +3.7 73% 40% 40% 89 10%below average
40 North Fawdon Primary School As expected 59% 55% +3.6 52% 29% 19% 66 9%low
41 St Mark's Catholic Primary School, Westerhope As expected 66% 63% +3.5 31% 24% 31% 87 16%above average
42 Mountfield Primary School As expected 48% 46% +1.8 69% 50% 19% 73 22%high
43 St Michael's Catholic Primary School As expected 57% 55% +1.7 67% 20% 37% 89 31%
44 Ravenswood Primary School As expected 66% 66% −0.2 27% 12% 29% 256 7%low
45 Our Lady and St Anne's Catholic Primary School As expected 61% 61% −0.4 57% 17% 77% 89 14%
46 Welbeck Academy As expected 50% 51% −0.6 71% 33% 29% 173 14%below average
47 Simonside Primary School As expected 50% 51% −0.7 71% 29% 17% 113 6%
48 Hotspur Primary School As expected 49% 51% −2.3 70% 27% 14% 173 12%below average
49 Stocksfield Avenue Primary School As expected 59% 61% −2.3 38% 27% 48% 170 22%high
50 West Walker Primary School As expected 44% 47% −2.6 88% 31% 23% 94 33%high
51 St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School As expected 60% 63% −2.7 39% 13% 23% 80 6%
52 St Catherine's Catholic Primary School As expected 56% 60% −3.7 26% 41% 33% 85 7%
53 Wingrove Primary School As expected 55% 60% −4.5 59% 24% 81% 175 5%low
54 Christ Church CofE Primary School Below 49% 54% −5.3 82% 18% 65% 55 21%
55 Moorside Primary School Below 51% 57% −5.5 72% 22% 76% 168 13%below average
56 Wyndham Primary School Below 57% 63% −5.9 30% 20% 20% 58 30%
57 St Alban's Catholic Primary School, Walker Below 52% 58% −6.1 43% 27% 20% 90 14%below average
58 Canning Street Primary School Below 48% 55% −7.0 72% 32% 89% 168 17%above average
59 Westgate Hill Primary Academy Below 53% 61% −7.6 65% 14% 83% 292 6%low
60 West Newcastle Academy Below 48% 56% −7.9 61% 21% 29% 81 23%high
61 St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Newcastle Below 56% 65% −8.9 37% 10% 37% 91 15%
62 Kenton Bar Primary School Well below 42% 54% −11.8 74% 23% 49% 137 17%above average
63 Excelsior Academy Well below 40% 56% −15.6 64% 23% 41% 81 16%above average
64 Broadwood Primary School Well below 31% 50% −18.5 68% 36% 14% 87 14%below average

Results are the average of the last three Year 6 groups, which is steadier than a single year. Pupil percentages are for the latest Year 6. Disadvantaged: eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, or looked after by the council. SEN: special educational needs (SEN support or an EHC plan). EAL: English as an additional language.

How this works

We looked at every comparable state primary and junior school in England (14,315 schools) to see how SATs results usually change with the make-up of a year group. On average:

  • For every 10 more disadvantaged pupils in every 100, the share meeting the expected standard is about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with SEN in every 100, it's about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with English as an additional language in every 100, it's about 0.7 percentage points higher. Pupils learning English often catch up quickly.

From those, each school gets an expected result for its own pupils, which we compare with its actual result. Primary year groups are small – in a class of 30, one child moves the percentage by more than 3 points – so we use the three-year average and allow for each school's own pupil numbers: a small school needs a bigger gap before we call it above or below what you'd expect.

What we found: schools where teachers stay

We put every primary and junior school's result-against-expected next to its teacher turnover – the share of its teachers who moved to another school or left state schools each year, averaged over three years (DfE school workforce census). Across 8,274 schools in England, split into four equal groups by turnover:

Teacher turnoverTypical turnoverResults vs expectedDid better than expected
Lowest turnover 7% a year +1.8 pts 40%
Lower-middle 12% a year +1.2 pts 37%
Upper-middle 17% a year +0.7 pts 36%
Highest turnover 26% a year −1.2 pts 32%

The pattern is the same as for secondary schools but weaker, and most of the difference is in the quarter of schools where teachers leave most often (−1.2 percentage points, against +1.8 for the lowest-turnover quarter). Primary staffs are small and SATs results move around from year to year, which blurs the picture.

A link isn't proof that one causes the other: losing teachers may hold results back, and a school that's struggling for other reasons (leadership, for example) may also lose more teachers. Nationally, turnover is fairly steady from year to year and teachers who move are replaced – but between schools it varies a lot, from under one teacher in ten a year to more than one in five. The green rings on the chart mark the lowest-turnover quarter.

What it can't tell you

  • These three things explain only about 18% of the differences between schools. Much of what makes a school stronger or weaker, and much about its pupils, isn't captured by any published figure.
  • Even averaged over three years, small schools' results move around a lot, so treat close calls as roughly equal.
  • It isn't an excuse for lower results. It shows how a school does compared with schools teaching similar pupils, so you can compare more fairly.
  • We deliberately don't adjust for attendance or exclusions: those are partly down to the school itself.

Source: Department for Education, Key Stage 2 performance data (2024/25). Calculated by The School Companion.