Columbia Grange School

Special academy · Primary, ages 5 to 11 · Mixed

Part of OAK LEARNING TRUST

Oxclose Road, Washington, NE38 7NY

0191 691 3940 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedOutstandingInspected 17 March 2011, before conversion; confirmed 2020
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%England 62% · 2024/25
Pupils140Room for 140 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 115 in 2019, 115 in 2021, 115 in 2022, 120 in 2023, 117 in 2024, 140 in 2025, 140 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals44%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at the inspection that started on 17 March 2011. This inspection was of the school before it changed to its current form (for example, before becoming an academy).

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationOutstanding
Outcomes for pupilsOutstanding
Leadership and managementOutstanding
Early yearsOutstanding

Since then, a shorter ungraded inspection on 4 March 2020: Ofsted found the school was still Outstanding.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

Key stage 2 (SATs, age 11), 2024/25

21 pupils in this year group.

0% — 66 points below the Sunderland average, and 62 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolSunderlandEngland
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 66% 62%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 11% 8%
Met the expected standard in reading 0% 77% 75%
Met the expected standard in writing 0% 75% 72%
Met the expected standard in maths 0% 77% 74%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 106 106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 105 105

"Not published": No figure published.

Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% England 2022/23: 60%England 2023/24: 61%England 2024/25: 62% This school 2022/23: 0%This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 62% 2022/23 0% 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Source: DfE key stage 2 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Sunderland. The national closing date for primary applications is 15 January, and offers are sent on 16 April.

Admissions dates and schools in Sunderland

Pupils, staff and SEND

This is a special school for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Places are arranged through the council's SEND team, not the normal admissions round. It caters for: Speech, language and communication needs; Autism; Severe learning difficulties.

PupilsThis schoolSunderlandEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 64.3% 60.6%* 51.9%
With an education, health and care plan 100.0% 99.2%* 99.5%
Receiving special educational needs support 0.0% 0.8%* 0.5%
English as an additional language 5.7% 5.6%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 8.8% 14.1%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 22.6% 33.1%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.7 35.6 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 0.7% 7.4% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.00% 0.08%
Pupils per teacher 6.9 6.4 6.6
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.5 2.5 2.3
Teachers who left during the year 9.9% 11.5%* 14.3%*

Comparisons are with special schools. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

SEND provision: Get Information about Schools (DfE).

Nearby special schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is Columbia Grange School's Ofsted rating?

Columbia Grange School was rated Outstanding by Ofsted at its inspection in 17 March 2011. At a shorter ungraded inspection in 4 March 2020, Ofsted found the school was still Outstanding.

How did Columbia Grange School do in its SATs?

In 2024/25, 0% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 62 points below the England average of 62%.

Sources

Spotted a mistake? Report it and we'll check it against the source.

Page updated 26 September 2026.