Hipsburn Primary School

Hipsburn Primary School has transitioned from an Outstanding school 14 years ago to a current Good rating in all areas evaluated. The school benefits from strong community ties and emphasizes outdoor learning, notably through its beach and forest school activities, which help promote well-being among its pupils. Despite these strengths, there have been notable improvements needed in areas such as phonics instruction and assessment systems in foundation subjects that are not yet effectively in place, posing challenges for some pupils' reading development. The school, having changed from a first school to a primary school and incorporating nursery provision for children as young as two, now faces a pivotal moment to solidify its curriculum strategies and improve record-keeping in safeguarding practices.

Strengths

• Strong community understanding among pupils
• Effective cooperation and support for pupils with SEND
• Ambitious curriculum fostering foundational skills
• Emphasis on outdoor learning promoting well-being
• Pupils display strong attitudes and behaviour towards learning
• Pupils have a strong understanding of tolerance, respect, and equality

Areas for Improvement

• Phonics delivery is inconsistent, impacting some pupils' reading support
• Lack of clear assessment systems in some foundation subjects
• Monitoring systems for curriculum effectiveness are still developing
• Gaps in safeguarding record-keeping need strengthening

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 Hipsburn Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.3% 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 Hipsburn 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 Hipsburn Primary School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.0% 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, 10.8% of pupils at Hipsburn Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% 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 Hipsburn Primary School received £8,357 and spent £8,322 for each of its 102 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £83,000 (£814 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 Alnwick · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Hipsburn Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hipsburn Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was Hipsburn Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hipsburn Primary School was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does Hipsburn Primary School have?

Hipsburn Primary School has 102 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hipsburn Primary School cover?

Hipsburn Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Hipsburn Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hipsburn Primary School?

Hipsburn Primary School is at Lesbury, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 3PX.