Amble Links Primary School

Amble Links Primary School is a happy, high-performing school where pupils’ behaviour and personal development are exceptional. Children get a strong start from the two-year-old provision through the early years, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported very effectively so they take a full part in school life and learn well. Reading and mathematics are particular strengths, with a well-sequenced curriculum and strong phonics provision helping most pupils become fluent readers early. Leaders and governors are ambitious, staff feel supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school has strong systems for families and a broad curriculum, although a small number of foundation subjects are still being developed. In those subjects, pupils’ knowledge is less secure and staff need further training and clarity so that standards match the rest of the curriculum. The inspection took place in November 2024, shortly after the school became a primary and added its first Year 5 class. It was a graded inspection, but under current arrangements the school was not given an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable in and outside classrooms
• Personal development provision is superb and helps pupils understand responsibility, respect and resilience
• Early years provision is outstanding and gives children a strong start
• Provision for pupils with SEND is excellent
• Phonics provision is strong and most pupils become fluent readers early
• The mathematics curriculum is well sequenced and pupils achieve good outcomes
• The curriculum is broad and sequenced, with several subjects exceptionally strong
• Leaders and governors are ambitious and use external advice effectively
• Staff feel listened to about workload and well-being
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective and pupils feel safe
• The school has strong systems to support pupils and their families
• Pupils’ knowledge of online safety is exceptional

Areas for Improvement

• A few foundation subjects are at an earlier stage of design and implementation
• Pupils’ knowledge and understanding are less secure in these foundation subjects
• Staff need training in these foundation subjects so pupils know and remember important concepts

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 Amble Links Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.8% 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 Amble Links Primary 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 Amble Links Primary School had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.0% 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, 11.1% of pupils at Amble Links Primary 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 Amble Links Primary School received £6,537 and spent £6,666 for each of its 214 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £0 (£2 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 Morpeth · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Amble Links Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Amble Links Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Amble Links Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Amble Links Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Amble Links Primary School have?

Amble Links Primary School has 216 pupils on roll.

What age range does Amble Links Primary School cover?

Amble Links Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

Where is Amble Links Primary School?

Amble Links Primary School is at Links Avenue, Links Estate, Amble, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 0SA.