Find the best primary schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Newcastle-under-Lyme has 41 primary schools, all in Staffordshire 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 41, 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 Newcastle-under-Lyme 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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Meadows Primary School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Hugo Meynell CofE (VC) Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| May Bank Infants' School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Co-op Academy Friarswood | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Baldwins Gate CofE(VC) Primary School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Thursfield Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 |
| St Margaret's CofE (VC) Junior School |
There are 41 primary schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
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. If you live in Newcastle-under-Lyme, that council is Staffordshire. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 41 primary schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme, 17 have a religious character: 13 Church of England and 4 Roman Catholic. 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 The Meadows Primary School (4.5), Hugo Meynell CofE (VC) Primary School (4.5), May Bank Infants' School (4.4), Co-op Academy Friarswood (4.4) and Baldwins Gate CofE(VC) Primary School (4.3). 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 41 schools here, 39 have enough published data for a rating.
| Church of England |
| 4.1 / 5 |
| Crackley Bank Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Silverdale Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Sun Academy Bradwell | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Ellison Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Wulstan's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.0 / 5 |
| Springhead Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| The Reginald Mitchell Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Our Lady and St Werburgh's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.9 / 5 |
| Alsagers Bank Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Langdale Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Hempstalls Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Sir John Offley CofE (VC) Primary School | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 |
| Castle Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Seabridge Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Hassell Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Bursley Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| St John the Evangelist Catholic Primary | Roman Catholic | 3.4 / 5 |
| Ravensmead Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Betley CofE VC Primary School | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.3 / 5 |
| Dove Bank Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Chesterton Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Churchfields Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| St Luke's CofE (C) Primary School | Church of England | 2.9 / 5 |
| Kidsgrove Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| St Saviour's CofE Academy | Church of England | 2.8 / 5 |
| Wood Lane Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy | Church of England | 2.8 / 5 |
| Westlands Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Knutton St Marys CofE Academy | Church of England | 2.6 / 5 |
| St John's CofE Primary Academy | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| St Mary's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 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.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
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.