Westmoor Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne Review 2026: High KS2 outcomes, strong early years, and a leadership culture pupils can see

Westmoor Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne sits in Killingworth and serves children from Nursery to Year 6. It is a state school with no tuition fees, and the numbers suggest it is doing a lot right academically. In 2024, 83.33% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of key stage 2, well above the England average of 62%. Locally, it ranks 29th in Newcastle for primary outcomes and 2,818th in England (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), which places it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

It is also a school that puts structure and personal development front and centre, with pupils taking on visible leadership roles, and early years graded Outstanding at the latest inspection.

Westmoor’s public-facing message is consistent across its curriculum and wider life, learning together through truth, opportunity and celebration. In practice, that reads as a school that wants pupils to be both academically capable and socially responsible, with routines that start early and build steadily through the school. The headteacher named on the school website is Mrs Sharon Trundley, who also serves as the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

A notable feature of Westmoor’s culture is how explicitly it builds pupil responsibility into day-to-day life. The school describes multiple pupil leadership routes, including School Council, Sports Leaders, Digital Leaders, and Year 6 Reading Buddies. The point is not just badges and titles, it is structured practice in speaking up, listening, and following democratic processes. Digital Leaders are also linked to practical computing experiences, including representing the school at Lego League competitions, which signals that “leadership” here includes technical confidence, not only traditional prefect-style roles.

Early years is a major strength in the verified external picture of the school. The most recent inspection describes children settling quickly into routines in Nursery and Reception, alongside high expectations from the start of the school journey. It also highlights calm, purposeful lessons and a strong focus on wellbeing across the school, which aligns with Westmoor’s own wellbeing activity, including Wellbeing Champions and annual participation in #HelloYellow for YoungMinds around World Mental Health Day.

Westmoor’s headline academic story, from the most recent published data is strong end of key stage 2 attainment.

• Expected standard (reading, writing, maths combined) in 2024: 83.33%

• England average (reading, writing, maths combined): 62%

• Higher standard (greater depth) in 2024: 27%

• England average (higher standard): 8%

Scaled scores are also comfortably above typical national baselines: reading 106, maths 107, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 109. Taken together, these figures indicate a cohort leaving Year 6 academically secure, with a meaningful proportion operating at higher standard.

In ranking terms, Westmoor is 2,818th in England and 29th in Newcastle for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This corresponds to performance above the England average, within the top quarter of schools in England.

What this usually means for families is that the school is likely to suit children who respond well to consistent routines and clear academic expectations. Results at this level also tend to correlate with effective early reading and strong maths sequencing, which is reinforced by the school’s approach to phonics and core subject teaching.

Westmoor frames its curriculum around local identity and purposeful links to the surrounding area. The school explicitly references learning that draws on local heritage, including mining history and local landmarks, and it references visits that extend learning beyond the classroom such as the lake beside the school and Rising Sun Country Park. This matters because it suggests a curriculum that aims to make knowledge “stick” through repeated contextual examples, rather than treating subjects as disconnected weekly slots.

In English, the school states it teaches early reading and spelling from Nursery onwards using Read Write Inc, with a structured progression from decodable books to independent “free reader” choices once fluency is secure. That is an approach that tends to work best when delivery is consistent across staff, because children’s confidence depends on tight alignment between the sounds taught and the books sent home.

Music is also mapped in a deliberately cumulative way. Westmoor describes a whole-school “Singing Strategy”, participation in Wider Opportunities, and a clear instrument pathway, recorders in Years 3 and 4, then ukuleles in Years 5 and 6. There is also an optional extension route through paid instrumental tuition for key stage 2 pupils.

For families assessing fit, the key takeaway is that Westmoor is trying to systemise quality, especially in early reading, and then widen experiences through enrichment weeks, music pathways, leadership roles, and structured personal development.

As a state primary, Westmoor’s main transition point is Year 6 to Year 7. The school sits near established secondary provision in the area, and Ofsted’s school listing places George Stephenson High School at the same postcode, which gives a clear clue about the local secondary context families will be weighing.

The latest inspection report states that pupils are prepared well for the demands of secondary schooling, and it emphasises strong reading, writing and maths by the end of Year 6.

For parents thinking ahead, it is worth using FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools to shortlist nearby secondaries early. That helps you link primary strengths, such as reading fluency and maths security, to the curriculum and pastoral style your child will meet in Year 7.

Westmoor describes itself as a Trust School and states that its published admission number is 45 per year group (excluding Nursery).

Demand data indicates the school is under pressure at primary entry. For Reception entry, there were 83 applications for 45 offers, and the route is described as oversubscribed. That is roughly 1.84 applications per place, a level where small differences in criteria or timing can matter for families.

Applications for Reception are made through North Tyneside’s coordinated process. For the 2026 to 2027 Reception round, North Tyneside’s published timetable states the process began on 8 September 2025, with a closing date originally listed as 12 January 2026, and an explicit extension allowing applications or amendments up to 9am on 26 January 2026. National Offer Day for Reception is listed as 16 April 2026.

Because today is 27 January 2026, that extended deadline has already passed for the 2026 entry round. Families applying for later years should treat the timetable as a strong indicator of typical timing, then confirm the live dates on the council site as each admissions cycle opens.

Nursery admissions are typically handled differently from Reception. Westmoor hosts Nursery on site and provides Nursery starter materials on its website, including a “Starting School” area for Nursery and Reception. For Nursery place queries, the school also provides a Nursery application form via its forms area, which suggests direct contact and school-level administration is likely to be part of the process.

Westmoor positions wellbeing as a practical, visible part of school life rather than an add-on. The most recent inspection report states the school has a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing, and it also describes calm, harmonious breaktimes and respectful behaviour around the site.

The school also participates in Operation Encompass, which is a police and education information-sharing partnership designed to enable rapid, appropriate support for children affected by domestic abuse incidents attended by police. Westmoor states it has been an Operation Encompass school since the programme was created in 2011, which is a concrete marker of safeguarding partnership work rather than a generic statement of intent.

For children who benefit from predictable routines and warm adult consistency, the combination of early years strength, wellbeing emphasis, and structured leadership responsibilities is likely to feel steady and containing.

Westmoor’s wider offer is best understood as three strands: leadership, play, and enrichment.

Leadership and citizenship are deliberately engineered. School Council is described as an active body that listens to peers, proposes actions, and supports community activity including collecting food bank donations. Sports Leaders support playtime activities and help with whole-school sport events. Digital Leaders are linked to classroom support with iPads and represent the school in Lego League activities, bringing coding and problem-solving into the identity of “being a leader”.

Outdoor play has a distinctive Westmoor stamp through OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning). The school describes developed zones such as a digging area, mud kitchen, table tennis, a summer house, and a stage for performance and role play. This is not just “more time outside”, it is structured choice architecture, designed to widen the kinds of play children can access across year groups.

Clubs and enrichment also show up clearly in the latest inspection report, which references a wide range of extra-curricular activity and gives examples including netball, Italian and craft clubs. In music, there is a choir and performance programme alongside whole-class instrument learning across KS2.

For families, the implication is that Westmoor offers multiple routes for children to find “their thing”, not only sports or arts, but also technical leadership, performance play, and responsibility roles.

The school day published on the school website runs 8.50am to 3.15pm.

Wraparound care is clearly described. Westmoor’s out-of-school club offers morning childcare 7.30am to 8.50am and afternoon childcare 3.15pm to 5.30pm, with breakfast and a light snack included as described.

For Nursery-aged children, Westmoor provides a “Starting School” area and a Nursery welcome route, including virtual tour content. Nursery pricing should be checked directly with the school, and eligible families can use government-funded early education hours.

• Oversubscription pressure. With 83 applications for 45 offers at primary entry admission is competitive. Families should plan early and keep an eye on North Tyneside’s annual timetable.

• Curriculum embedding in some foundation subjects. The most recent inspection notes the curriculum is relatively new and not yet embedded in some foundation subjects, which can leave knowledge gaps for some older pupils who did not study the full revised sequence across earlier years. This is the type of issue that often resolves over time, but it is still worth asking how gaps are identified and closed.

• SEND targeting precision. The inspection report indicates that, on occasion, targets for some pupils with SEND are not matched precisely to need, and that the school is reviewing this. Parents of children who need carefully calibrated support should ask how targets are set, reviewed, and translated into day-to-day classroom strategies.

• Strong routines can feel firm. The school’s emphasis on high expectations, calm lessons, and well-established routines tends to suit many children well. A small subset of pupils who need a more flexible daily structure may take longer to settle, especially in early years.

Westmoor Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne looks like a school with strong key stage 2 outcomes, an unusually strong early years profile, and a clear culture of responsibility through pupil leadership. It should suit families who want high expectations paired with structured wellbeing support, and who value a school day that extends into practical wraparound care. Entry is the main hurdle, and families should treat admissions as a process to manage carefully rather than a last-minute formality.