Whytrig Middle School

Whytrig Community Middle School has shown solid safeguarding standards and fosters a positive environment where pupils feel safe and supported. The leadership's commitment to high attendance and behavior is commendable, with effective strategies in place to address any pupils facing challenges. However, despite notable improvements in personal development initiatives, the school struggles with inconsistent teaching quality, which has affected pupil achievement, particularly in mathematics. Overall, while there are significant strengths in inclusion and support for SEND pupils, ongoing challenges in teaching must be addressed to enhance academic outcomes for all students.

Strengths

• High attendance and supportive attendance initiatives.
• Effective safeguarding measures creating a safe environment.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils fostering a positive atmosphere.
• Comprehensive support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Broad and well-structured personal development program.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent teaching quality leading to uneven progress.
• Pupils' attainment in national tests below national averages.
• Mathematics achievement remains particularly uneven despite some improvements.
• Need for more targeted training for teachers to ensure consistent curriculum delivery.
• Leadership checks on curriculum quality are not adequately thorough.

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 Whytrig Middle School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 6.7% of pupils at Whytrig Middle School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Whytrig Middle School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 19.1% of pupils at Whytrig Middle School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Whytrig Middle School received £7,706 and spent £8,104 for each of its 330 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £27,000 (-£80 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 · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Whytrig Middle School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whytrig Middle School is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Whytrig Middle School last inspected by Ofsted?

Whytrig Middle School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Whytrig Middle School have?

Whytrig Middle School has 330 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whytrig Middle School cover?

Whytrig Middle School for pupils aged 9 to 13.

What are Whytrig Middle School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Whytrig Middle School?

Whytrig Middle School is at Prospect Avenue, Whitley Bay, NE25 0FW.