Top marks for North Shields school

Waterville Primary School is the best primary school in North Tyneside, new results data shows.
Waterville Primary School has been ranked the best primary school in North Tyneside. Picture by Halo Photography.Waterville Primary School has been ranked the best primary school in North Tyneside. Picture by Halo Photography.
Waterville Primary School has been ranked the best primary school in North Tyneside. Picture by Halo Photography.

The school achieved well above average progress scores for Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics.

Schools are awarded scores reflecting their pupils’ progress between KS1 and KS2 exams in three key subjects, taken at the ages of seven and 11.

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Waterville Primary School replaces St Cuthberts Roman Catholic Primary School Aided as the highest-ranking school in North Tyneside – though last year’s winner remains one of the best in the area.

Benton Dene Primary School and Riverside Primary School also performed well.

At the other end of the scale, Percy Main Primary School was bottom of the progress score rankings for last year.

Waterville Primary School, in North Shields, is a community school which accepts children aged three to 11.

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It has 243 registered pupils. Of them, 31 were 11 year olds eligible to take Key Stage 2 exams last year: 17 boys and 14 girls.

Pupils are expected to achieve scores of at least 100 in their Key Stage 2 exams. In Waterville Primary School, the average grade awarded for reading was 108, for grammar, punctuation and spelling 110, and for maths 110.

The results mean that 87 per cent of pupils achieved the expected standard across the three subjects, and 16 per cent were high achievers.

As a result, the school achieved progress scores of 5.4 for reading, 4.7 for writing and 7.4 for mathematics, recognising the improvement students achieved in their final years of primary education. Scores of zero reflect average progress across schools, with positive and negative scores awarded for better or worse improvement in students’ grades.

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Factors in the school’s impressive performance included its better than average pupil to teacher ratio (19 pupils to each teacher) for the area.

The top 10 schools in North Tyneside, according to their progress scores, were:

1) Waterville Primary School (5.4 in reading, 4.7 in writing and 7.4 in mathematics)

2) Benton Dene Primary School (reading: 3.0, writing: 3.1, maths: 3.8)

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3) Riverside Primary School (reading: 2.9, writing: 6.1, maths: 0.8)

4) St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School (Aided) (reading: 3.9, writing: 2.7, maths: 2.6)

5) King Edward Primary School (reading: 1.9, writing: 2.8, maths: 2.9)

=6) St Stephens Roman Catholic Primary School Aided (reading: 1.9, writing: 1.6, maths: 3.8)

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=6) St Aidan’s Roman Catholic Primary School (reading: 3.4, writing: 1.6, maths: 2.3)

=8) Monkhouse Primary School (reading: 3.4, writing: 2.1, maths: 1.4)

=8) Denbigh Community Primary School (reading: 1.4, writing: 1.8, maths: 3.7)

10) Holystone Primary School (reading: 2.3, writing: 2.6 and maths: 1.8)

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Meanwhile, at Percy Main Primary School, average grades of 100 for reading, 99 for grammar, punctuation and spelling and 99 for mathematics meant the school received the lowest average progress scores in North Tyneside.

In reading, writing and mathematics the school was awarded well below average progress scores.

The worst five schools in North Tyneside, according to their average progress scores, were:

52) Percy Main Primary School (-5.1 in reading, -7.1 in writing and -4.8 in mathematics)

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51) Monkseaton Middle School (reading: -5.3, writing: -2.5, maths: -4.6)

50) St Columbas Roman Catholic Primary School Aided (reading: -4.0, writing: -1.6, maths: -4.7)

49) Grasmere Academy (reading: -3.9, writing: -1.3, maths: -3.4)

48) Forest Hall Primary School (reading: -2.8, writing: 0.2, maths: -5.3)

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Pupils across North Tyneside achieved Key Stage 2 results broadly in line with other places in England.

Average scores of 105 in reading, 106 in grammar, punctuation and spelling and 104 in mathematics meant the local authority ranked 90th of England’s 152 authorities.

This was a rise from 99th in 2016-17.