South Wellfield First School

South Wellfield First School is performing well overall. Inspectors found a nurturing, warm and supportive school with high expectations, where pupils feel happy and safe, attend regularly and behave exceptionally well. The quality of education, leadership and management, and early years provision are all strong, while behaviour and attitudes and personal development are particular highlights. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well because the curriculum is ambitious and staff are knowledgeable. The school has clear strengths in reading and phonics, with well-trained staff, precise assessment and bespoke support helping pupils secure strong outcomes. Support for pupils with SEND is highly effective, and personal development is exemplary, with a wide range of clubs, visits and well-being education. Staff feel well supported, governors understand the school, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Since the last inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed. The main area for improvement is in the early years, where some aspects of the wider curriculum are less precise in supporting children’s learning. As a result, children do not always learn the important things they need to know. The school should continue to refine the curriculum so that learning is well identified and well supported across all areas. This was a graded inspection, so no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Nurturing, warm and supportive culture with high expectations
• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, with pupils routinely kind and respectful
• Exemplary personal development provision, including clubs and well-being education
• Highly effective support for pupils with SEND
• Strong phonics and reading provision with precise assessment and bespoke support
• Ambitious curriculum with well-sequenced knowledge across subjects
• Pupils achieve well, including those with SEND
• Staff feel supported and proud to work at the school
• Governors have a good understanding of the school
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Some aspects of the early years wider curriculum are less precise, so children do not always learn the important knowledge they need

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at South Wellfield First School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at South Wellfield First School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 South Wellfield First School had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.0% of pupils at South Wellfield First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 South Wellfield First School received £6,437 and spent £6,325 for each of its 323 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £169,000 (£524 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Whitley Bay · North Tyneside local authority: places and applications

What is South Wellfield First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for South Wellfield First School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was South Wellfield First School last inspected by Ofsted?

South Wellfield First School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does South Wellfield First School have?

South Wellfield First School has 345 pupils on roll.

What age range does South Wellfield First School cover?

South Wellfield First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is South Wellfield First School?

South Wellfield First School is at Otterburn Avenue, South Wellfield, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, NE25 9QL.