St Lawrence's Catholic Primary School

  • Primary
  • Academy
  • Ages 3 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Headlam Street, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2JXOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

St Lawrence's Catholic Primary School is a primary school in Newcastle upon Tyne for ages 3 to 11. It is one of the 108 schools in Newcastle upon Tyne. It ranks 64th of 98 primary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in December 2017.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 13 December 2017, report published 17 January 2018

Overall effectiveness
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years provision
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 September 2023

There is a warm and caring welcome when you walk through the door of St Lawrence's Catholic Primary School. Leaders, staff and stakeholders have high expectations for all of the school community. Pupils rise to these high ambitions and achieve well. Behaviour across school is calm and focused. Pupils have strong relationships with staff. Pupils' attitudes to school are positive. Their attitudes match the school motto of 'Kindness, tolerance, respect'. Carefully planned support for pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), helps pupils access the broad curriculum that has been planned. This is a truly inclusive school. Pupils feel safe in school. They talk with enthusiasm about how staff and leaders make sure they do well. Leaders make sure that pupils access a wide range of educational experiences during their time in school. These opportunities are planned out to meet the individual needs of the pupils. The offer beyond the classroom is helping pupils get ready for their next steps in life. Through visits and special events, such as the celebration of languages day, pupils connect their new learning with existing knowledge. Pupils are proud to have responsible roles in school, such as being a buddy to new pupils in Reception or a key stage 1 playground leader.

What the school should improve

  • Some pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read do not have books that are well matched to the sounds they know. These pupils are not able to read with fluency and automaticity using the sounds they know. The school must ensure that books are well matched to the sounds that pupils know so that pupils build fluency and automaticity when reading.
  • The implementation of the curriculum in some wider curriculum subjects does not fully match the ambition of the planned curriculums. There is variability in the pedagogical choices made, meaning pupils do not remember consistently the key knowledge they need to know. The school must ensure that staff receive appropriate training to ensure the intention of the curriculum is fully realised.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

31 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths77%

77%, 15 percentage points above the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths3%

3%, 5 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score105

105, 1 below the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score102

102, 3 below the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score102

102, 3 below the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

221 pupils on roll, with places for 210

Eligible for free school meals71%

71%, 44.5 percentage points above the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language45.7%

45.7%, 24.1 percentage points above the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support17.6%

17.6%, 2.8 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan4.5%

4.5%, 1.5 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near St Lawrence's Catholic Primary School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Byker Primary School0.3 milesOfsted judgements: Requires improvement to good64% met the expected standard
Welbeck Academy0.4 milesReport card: Expected standard to strong standard65% met the expected standard
Chillingham Road Primary School0.6 milesOfsted judgements: Good to outstanding60% met the expected standard
Hotspur Primary School0.7 milesOfsted: Good52% met the expected standard
St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Heaton0.7 milesOfsted: Outstanding70% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Academy converter
Sector
Academy
Trust
BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
Age range
3 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Nursery classes
Yes
Headteacher
Mr Paul Brown
Address
Headlam Street, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2JX
Local authority
Newcastle upon Tyne
URN
148272

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.