Admissions to Primary school September 2025

Gateshead has a two-tier school system, with children progressing from primary and junior schools to secondary school. There are three infant schools in Gateshead and each has a linked junior school.

Below is a breakdown of the organisation of Gateshead schools proposed for September 2025.

We have

3 infant schools for children aged 4 to 7

3 junior schools for children aged 7 to 11

61 primary schools for children aged 4 to 11

Consisting of

47 community schools

19 academies (16 Roman Catholic)

1 Church of England schools

There are

9 secondary schools

Consisting of

1 community school

7 academies 

1 free school

There are six special schools in Gateshead for children whose special educational needs cannot be met in a mainstream school. A list of these schools and all others in Gateshead can be found at the back of this booklet.

When to start school

Reception - children born between 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021 will be eligible to start school Reception in September 2025 and must apply for a school place by 15 January 2025.

Junior - children born between 1 September 2017 to 31 August 2018 that currently attend an infant school (Oakfield Infant, Ryton Infant or Birtley St Joseph's Infants) are due to transfer to junior school (Year 3) in September and must apply for a school place by 15 January 2025.

Before you apply 

• read the information on this website very carefully before completing your application form
• do not assume that you live in a particular schools catchment area as some streets are split

You can check your catchment school on the Council's website. 

• sometimes living near to a school, in the school's catchment area or having a sibling already at the school you apply to is not enough to be offered a place
• it is possible that your child will not be offered a place at any of your preferred schools especially if you apply for very popular schools and don't have a high priority under the over-subscription criteria
• Academies and Voluntary Aided Schools have different admission policies to community schools in Gateshead

You must read the admission policy for each school you apply to in order to assess which school you stand the best chance of being offered. 

• look at the statistics for previous years in Section 3 - Admissions statistics

This will show you which schools were oversubscribed and the number of appeals that were heard. However you must be aware that these figures can change significantly from year to year. 

• use all three preferences on your application form - doing so does not reduce your chance of gaining a place at your first preference school
• do not repeat the name of a school more than once on your application, as this does not increase your chance of being offered a place and is a waste of preferences
• if your child is eligible for an offer at more than one school, your highest ranked preference will be offered and any lower ranked offers will be disregarded
• your child's attendance at a school nursery does not guarantee your child a place in the reception class of this school

Your application form will be considered against the schools admissions criteria with no regard to the nursery your child attends. 

• your child will not automatically be given a place at your catchment school, it is essential that you apply
• you must inform us immediately if you change address after the submission of your application form
• remember it is your responsibility to ensure your application is submitted by 15 January 2025

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