Whitley Chapel Church of England First School

Whitley Chapel Church of England First School is a small, welcoming village school with nursery provision, and it was judged good in all four key areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current framework no overall effectiveness grade was given. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Pupils are described as kind, confident and proud of their school, and they learn and play well together across ages. The school has high expectations and a broad, ambitious curriculum that is generally well sequenced. Reading and phonics are strengths, pupils with SEND are well supported, behaviour is good and attendance is high. Pupils benefit from leadership opportunities, a structured personal, social and health education curriculum, and a range of clubs and visits. Staff are proud to work at the school and feel well supported. The main areas for improvement concern mixed-age classes and governance. In some wider curriculum subjects, activities do not consistently give older pupils enough opportunity to deepen and connect their learning. Governors are developing their ability to hold leaders to account, but they do not yet have a precise enough understanding of the school’s progress and impact to provide consistent challenge.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum with clearly sequenced knowledge and skills
• Strong early reading and phonics provision
• Pupils with SEND are recognised effectively and well supported to access the full curriculum
• Pupils behave well and show kindness, inclusion and care for each other
• High attendance and pupils who are eager to learn
• Good opportunities for pupils to develop leadership skills and learn about safety
• Welcoming village school community with clear values and positive relationships
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Staff are proud to work at the school and receive timely training
• A range of clubs, visits and residential experiences enrich pupils’ learning

Areas for Improvement

• In some wider curriculum areas, mixed-age class activities do not consistently give older pupils enough opportunity to deepen and connect their learning
• Governors’ monitoring and challenge are developing; they lack precise understanding of the school’s progress and are not consistent in holding leaders to account

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 Whitley Chapel Church of England First School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.4% 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 Whitley Chapel Church of England 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 Whitley Chapel Church of England First School had 6.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 54.3% 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, 25.0% of pupils at Whitley Chapel Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Whitley Chapel Church of England First School received £13,911 and spent £15,057 for each of its 28 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £32,000 (-£1,127 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 Hexham · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Whitley Chapel Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whitley Chapel Church of England First School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Whitley Chapel Church of England First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Whitley Chapel Church of England First School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Whitley Chapel Church of England First School have?

Whitley Chapel Church of England First School has 28 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whitley Chapel Church of England First School cover?

Whitley Chapel Church of England First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Whitley Chapel Church of England First School?

Whitley Chapel Church of England First School is at Leazes Lane, Whitley Chapel, Steel, Hexham, Northumberland, NE47 0HB.