Find the best primary schools in Sunderland. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Sunderland has 83 primary schools, all in Sunderland council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 83, 17 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Sunderland primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Bernard Gilpin Primary School | Mixed | 5.0 / 5 |
| Valley Road Academy | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland | Roman Catholic | 4.8 / 5 |
| Fulwell Infant School Academy | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Highfield Academy | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| New Silksworth Academy Infant | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| St Anne's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School | Roman Catholic |
There are 83 primary schools in Sunderland. Of those, 2 are all-through schools, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 83 primary schools in Sunderland, 17 have a religious character: 14 Roman Catholic and 3 Church of England. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Bernard Gilpin Primary School (5.0), Valley Road Academy (4.8), St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland (4.8), Fulwell Infant School Academy (4.7) and Highfield Academy (4.7). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 83 schools here, 80 have enough published data for a rating.
| 4.7 / 5 |
| Fatfield Academy | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland | Roman Catholic | 4.6 / 5 |
| Rickleton Primary School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| St Paul's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington | Roman Catholic | 4.5 / 5 |
| Biddick Primary School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth | Roman Catholic | 4.4 / 5 |
| East Rainton Primary School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Hill View Junior Academy | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Seaburn Dene Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Mill Hill Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington | Roman Catholic | 4.2 / 5 |
| Willow Wood Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Barnwell Academy | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| East Herrington Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Fulwell Junior School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Redby Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hill View Infant Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Bexhill Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton | Roman Catholic | 3.9 / 5 |
| Usworth Colliery Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Hudson Road Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Blackfell Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Ryhope | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Shiney Row Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Albany Village Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Dubmire Primary | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Hasting Hill Academy | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Thorney Close Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| George Washington Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland | Roman Catholic | 3.7 / 5 |
| St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland | Roman Catholic | 3.7 / 5 |
| Ryhope Junior School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Holley Park Academy | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Springwell Village Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Easington Lane Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Castletown Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Northern Saints Church of England Academy | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Christ's College | all-through | 3.6 / 5 |
| Barnes Infant Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Eppleton Academy Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw | Roman Catholic | 3.6 / 5 |
| Barmston Village Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Broadway Junior School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Sunderland | Roman Catholic | 3.4 / 5 |
| Hetton Lyons Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Newbottle Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Oxclose Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Farringdon Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Grange Park Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| John F Kennedy Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Town End Academy | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| New Silksworth Academy Junior | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Diamond Hall Junior Academy | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Hetton Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Burnside Academy Inspires | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| South Hylton Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Southwick Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Plains Farm Academy | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| New Penshaw Academy | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Wessington Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Grangetown Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Richard Avenue Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Grindon Infant School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Barnes Junior School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Marlborough Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Lambton Primary School | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Gillas Lane Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Academy 360 | all-through | 2.3 / 5 |
| Hylton Castle Primary School | Mixed | 1.5 / 5 |
| Dame Dorothy Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Diamond Hall Infant Academy | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Ryhope Infant School Academy | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.