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 Gateshead: 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).

3030404050506060707080809090Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected % (from the school's pupils)Actual % meeting the expected standard1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162
3030404050506060707080809090Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected %Actual % meeting the expected standard1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162

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 South Street Community Primary School Well above 73% 51% +21.9 68% 36% 36% 74 17%above average
2 Brighton Avenue Primary School Well above 78% 57% +21.1 50% 30% 36% 134 10%below average
3 Greenside Primary School Well above 80% 61% +18.9 33% 21% 8% 70 11%below average
4 Clover Hill Community Primary School Well above 87% 69% +17.8 7% 13% 7% 85 9%
5 Roman Road Primary School Well above 65% 48% +17.0 61% 46% 4% 85 3%low
6 St Aidan's Church of England Primary School Well above 73% 56% +17.0 54% 27% 27% 84 0%
7 St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston Well above 77% 60% +17.0 32% 32% 27% 78 8%
8 St Mary & St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School, Blaydon Well above 87% 71% +15.9 3% 7% 0% 89 16%above average
9 Kibblesworth Academy Well above 80% 65% +15.2 24% 12% 0% 59 16%
10 St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green Well above 78% 63% +15.0 31% 15% 8% 51 21%
11 Ryton Junior School Well above 72% 59% +13.0 33% 27% 0% 90 7%
12 Caedmon Community Primary School Well above 70% 57% +12.7 52% 26% 35% 88 14%above average
13 Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School, Gateshead Well above 75% 63% +11.9 41% 17% 48% 88 18%above average
14 Fell Dyke Community Primary School Above 58% 47% +10.9 82% 32% 13% 99 8%low
15 St Agnes' Catholic Primary School, Crawcrook Above 81% 70% +10.9 4% 11% 4% 84 46%
16 Falla Park Community Primary School Above 65% 54% +10.6 58% 29% 25% 77 15%above average
17 St Oswald's Catholic Primary, Wrekenton Above 63% 53% +10.4 60% 32% 16% 79 18%
18 St Peter's Catholic Primary School, Low Fell Above 80% 70% +10.1 10% 7% 7% 95 24%
19 Carr Hill Community Primary School Above 61% 51% +10.0 67% 33% 21% 131 0%low
20 Emmaville Primary School Above 72% 62% +9.9 21% 27% 2% 192 6%low
21 Harlow Green Community Primary School Above 68% 59% +9.5 41% 24% 8% 174 9%low
22 High Spen Primary School Above 68% 59% +9.4 43% 21% 7% 69 1%
23 Blaydon West Primary School Above 72% 63% +9.3 30% 17% 7% 79 4%
24 Fellside Community Primary School Above 77% 69% +8.3 17% 3% 0% 88 30%
25 Front Street Community Primary School Above 77% 69% +7.8 17% 3% 7% 176 17%above average
26 Brandling Primary School Above 61% 53% +7.7 56% 37% 30% 74 14%below average
27 St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley Above 68% 60% +7.6 41% 24% 35% 66 38%
28 Crookhill Community Primary School Above 70% 63% +7.5 33% 13% 0% 79 6%
29 Riverside Primary Academy Above 68% 61% +7.1 32% 30% 32% 126 12%below average
30 Windy Nook Primary School Above 66% 59% +7.0 37% 26% 9% 131 10%below average
31 Whickham Parochial Church of England Primary School Above 78% 71% +6.7 0% 10% 3% 89 8%
32 Barley Mow Primary School Above 59% 53% +6.4 60% 30% 10% 66 14%
33 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blaydon Above 65% 60% +5.0 34% 25% 9% 92 54%
34 Bill Quay Primary School As expected 70% 65% +4.7 17% 17% 0% 89 4%
35 Chopwell Primary School As expected 60% 55% +4.7 52% 24% 0% 72 12%below average
36 Wardley Primary School As expected 63% 59% +4.4 52% 12% 6% 100 16%above average
37 Lingey House Primary School As expected 57% 53% +4.1 42% 45% 5% 168 11%below average
38 Lobley Hill Primary School As expected 68% 64% +3.7 26% 15% 9% 136 14%above average
39 Parkhead Community Primary School As expected 54% 50% +3.6 53% 47% 13% 119 13%below average
40 St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham As expected 74% 71% +3.4 10% 3% 3% 90 22%
41 Portobello Primary School As expected 69% 66% +3.3 10% 23% 3% 90 4%
42 St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Gateshead As expected 64% 62% +2.1 38% 11% 2% 132 19%above average
43 Dunston Hill Community Primary School As expected 61% 59% +1.8 43% 19% 8% 155 17%above average
44 Ravensworth Terrace Primary School As expected 66% 64% +1.8 23% 18% 8% 169 13%below average
45 Larkspur Community Primary School As expected 43% 42% +1.2 75% 63% 21% 58 15%
46 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Byermoor As expected 69% 69% +0.5 11% 11% 4% 113 7%low
47 Kells Lane Primary School As expected 69% 69% −0.1 12% 10% 12% 176 17%above average
48 Birtley East Community Primary School As expected 61% 62% −0.5 41% 13% 13% 84 12%
49 West Lane Primary School As expected 58% 59% −1.0 41% 21% 5% 154 14%below average
50 White Mere Community Primary School As expected 56% 57% −1.2 37% 32% 5% 62 20%
51 Bede Community Primary School As expected 54% 55% −1.3 63% 26% 44% 79 7%low
52 Swalwell Primary School Compared As expected 42% 46% −3.6 77% 46% 23% 57 16%
53 The Drive Community Primary School As expected 47% 51% −4.2 69% 28% 14% 81 9%low
54 Washingwell Community Primary School As expected 59% 64% −4.5 24% 19% 5% 73 22%
55 St Alban's Catholic Primary School, Pelaw Below 58% 66% −7.5 25% 13% 16% 90 8%
56 St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, Gateshead Below 47% 56% −8.5 44% 44% 44% 60 9%
57 Glynwood Community Primary School Below 53% 63% −10.3 32% 14% 12% 174 6%low
58 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Gateshead Below 54% 65% −10.9 31% 14% 31% 82 16%
59 St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Highfield Below 49% 62% −12.6 20% 33% 13% 43 7%
60 Kelvin Grove Community Primary School Well below 50% 63% −13.3 44% 10% 38% 156 9%low
61 Rowlands Gill Community Primary School Well below 46% 60% −13.8 35% 23% 3% 96 12%below average
62 Highfield Community Primary School Well below 40% 62% −22.1 50% 0% 7% 47 8%

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.