Schools & FE · Report card

Richardson Dees Primary School

Inspected 9 Sept 2026 · published 5 Oct 2026 · URN 108596

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Mary Cook (lead), Oliver Flitcroft, Zoe Westley

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Strong standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
9 Sept 2026
Inspectors verified
Mary Cook, Oliver Flitcroft, Zoe Westley
Postcode verified
NE28 7RT
Name on report verified
Richardson Dees Primary School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
108596

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Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

positive

The school meets safeguarding standards, with strong inclusion, improving attendance and mixed attainment in reading and grammar.

The school meets the expected standard overall. Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe. Inclusion is strong, with effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils. Attainment in reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling is below the national average, while mathematics, writing and phonics are close to it. Attendance has improved rapidly.

Going well

Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe
Highly welcoming culture where staff know pupils well
Effective provision and timely support for pupils with special educational needs
Attendance has improved rapidly and is now in line with national averages
Staff wellbeing is supported effectively and staff are loyal to the school

To improve

Attainment in reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling is below national average
Pupils' understanding of world faiths and different cultures is not as well developed
Recent early years developments and curriculum revisions need to be embedded

Summary written by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the report text. It can miss nuance: the report itself is the record.

Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionStrong
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+78Very positivemore positive than 60% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositivehigh expectationseffectivesuccessfullyeffectivelyconfidentenjoycaring

Criticismconcernsweaknessesweakerpersistent absencebelow

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1495w+77
Leadership244w+86
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve67w+33

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 15
Words of findings: 1,854; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 41, typical 43
Average sentence: 14 words
Next steps: 3; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 1%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 53%Leadership 9%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 2%About the inspection 34%

Full report text

Richardson Dees Primary School

Address: High Street East, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, NE28 7RT Unique reference number (URN): 108596

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders create a highly welcoming culture where staff know pupils well and value them as individuals. Before children begin school in the early years, staff work with parents and carers to gain an insight into any needs that their child might have. Staff use this information to tailor the transition and support available in school. As a result, children, including those who face challenges with their learning or wellbeing, settle quickly into the Nursery and Reception classes.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective. Leaders identify needs quickly. They work closely with external specialists to ensure that support is timely and well matched to pupils' needs. Pupils benefit from resources such as visual timetables and modified texts. These adaptations help pupils to develop independence and make secure progress through the curriculum over time.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use additional funding effectively to support the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and to ensure they access a broad range of experiences. They also ensure other vulnerable pupils benefit from carefully tailored support. The sensory spaces around school provide valuable additional support for pupils with social and emotional needs. Within them, pupils can regulate their emotions so that they can then engage successfully both in learning and with their peers.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils’ attainment in the national tests in reading and the English grammar, punctuation and spelling tests is below the national average over time. However, in mathematics, writing and phonics, pupils’ attainment is close to the national average. This is a result of the school’s concerted efforts to improve those areas of the curriculum in recent years.

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Achievement Expected standard

Disadvantaged pupils’ achievement is equal to that of their peers in school and broadly in line with disadvantaged pupils nationally. For these pupils, mathematics is the stronger area and reading and writing are slightly weaker. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make suitable progress through the curriculum from their individual starting points.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ attainment and are taking appropriate steps to improve this. The positive impact of leaders’ actions can be seen in the improving quality of pupils' work and knowledge shown in reading and writing.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations of pupils and prioritise attendance at school. Their systems to identify and support those who are absent from school have begun to pay dividends. Leaders’ actions have improved pupil attendance rapidly. Whole-school attendance is now in line with national averages, and persistent absence has significantly reduced. Leaders take a supportive and inclusive approach, working closely with families to understand individual circumstances and remove barriers rather than relying on sanctions. The governing body has oversight of the attendance strategy and has allocated resources to bring about the recent improvement. Leaders provide governors with detailed analysis of attendance to ensure they are well informed.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Behaviour is calm and safe and contributes to a purposeful learning environment. Pupils understand the school values and enact the ‘7 Superpowers’, which are explicit learning and social behaviours. Staff consistently support pupils to manage their own behaviour. There have been no suspensions or exclusions in recent years. Pupils are respectful and courteous and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and each other. Staff benefit from training and adapt approaches appropriately for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils feel safe and are confident that adults will respond quickly and effectively to any concerns, including bullying. Pupils take pride in their achievements and demonstrate resilience and perseverance.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They have recently revised the curriculum to ensure that it identifies the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn over time. Leaders work closely with teachers to check that the curriculum matches the needs of pupils. They place an emphasis on securing the initial skills that pupils need for future learning. Reading is a clear priority. Changes to the approach to phonics since the last inspection have secured better pupil attainment. Pupils who need additional support receive effective help to develop fluency and access learning successfully across the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders are strengthening pupils’ grammar, punctuation and spelling skills so that they can apply this knowledge in writing with increasing confidence. Pupils’ written work shows that this strategy is successful.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders promote a consistent approach to teaching across school. Teachers demonstrate secure subject knowledge and typically teach the curriculum as leaders intend. Teachers explain new learning clearly and help pupils to build on what they already know. Additional adults provide effective support for pupils who need extra help. Pupils enjoy their learning and contribute confidently to discussions. Teachers generally make effective checks on pupils' understanding so that they can deal with any misconceptions.

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Early years Expected standard

Children make a positive start to their education in the early years. Staff understand children's needs well. They ensure that appropriate support is in place, where needed, as soon as children join in Nursery or the Reception Year. This allows children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to learn successfully alongside their peers. Typically, children make sustained progress through the curriculum from their starting points. Staff develop warm and caring relationships with children. Children are confident, happy and safe. Leaders establish a curriculum that reflects the school context. They place an emphasis on developing language and communication skills. Staff are effective in modelling new vocabulary and encouraging children to express themselves. Visual prompts and communication aids support children in socialising with others. Staff constantly refine their practice to entice children into trying new things. Children learn new routines quickly and

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Early years Expected standard

Children enjoy the activities that staff provide to enable their physical and social development. They learn the importance of taking turns and sharing. Children cooperate well with one another.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff make sure that children have ready access to refreshments. They work with parents and carers to help them establish positive sleeping habits and independent toileting for their children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The governing body works collaboratively with staff to set the school vision of ‘Walking Tall’ and to ensure that is a reality for pupils. Leaders, including governors, provide clear and ambitious direction for the school. They have high expectations for staff and pupils, and they share these in their regular visits to school and through conversations with subject leaders. Leaders place pupils’ best interests at the centre of decision-making. They create a caring and welcoming culture, where all pupils can access the curriculum and wider opportunities. Governors receive the information that they need to hold the school to account and to understand where support is needed. They demonstrate an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders support staff wellbeing effectively. They promote open communication, implement wellbeing initiatives and create a kinship within the staff team. They consider workload carefully when making decisions. This results in staff who are deeply loyal to the school and enthusiastic about their work. Staff value leaders’ visibility, approachability and commitment to their wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise professional development and align this with school improvement priorities. Staff successfully embed whole-school approaches in different areas, such as phonics. Leaders recognise the need to embed recent developments in the early years and revisions to the curriculum.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors foster a sense of community. Parents and carers, staff and external partners speak positively about the school. Parents value the school’s nurturing ethos, the positive relationships and the inclusive approach.

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