Walbottle is a much smaller than most primary schools. Almost all pupils come from White British families and speak English as their first language. A much higher proportion of the pupils than is typical are girls. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals has increased and is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils who are disabled and those with a special educational need is broadly average; as is the percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational need. Pupils are taught in four mixed-age classes. The school was placed in special measures at its previous inspection. It then went through a period of turbulence with high staff absence and turnover. In April 2011 the school entered into a formal collaboration with a local National Support School, whose headteacher is now also the executive headteacher of this school. The two schools have retained separate governing bodies but share the same Chair. There has been a stable staff team since then and improvements have been made to the building. The school holds a number of nationally recognised awards. There is on-site childcare provision that is not managed by the governing body. This is subject to a separate inspection and a report about its quality can be found on the Ofsted website. The school met the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in the 2010/11 academic year.