Seaton Valley High School

Astley Community High School is a close-knit environment where pupils feel safe and happy, demonstrating strong relationships with staff and high expectations. While there is a broad and ambitious curriculum, concerns have been raised regarding the effectiveness of practices in improving reading and addressing gaps in knowledge among pupils. Overall, the school is preparing for a future graded inspection, suggesting areas for improvement since its last evaluation.

Strengths

• Strong pastoral care and positive relationships between pupils and staff.
• High levels of pupil independence and resilience through extracurricular activities.
• Effectively identified support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• A broad and ambitious curriculum that is well sequenced and delivered by specialists.
• Robust tracking of attendance and proactive engagement with families.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in checking pupils' understanding and knowledge retention.
• Weak support for pupils at the early stages of reading, limiting their curriculum access.
• Inadequate documentation of safeguarding actions in some internal records.

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 Seaton Valley High School attended 89.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.7% 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, 11.0% of pupils at Seaton Valley High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Seaton Valley High School had 14.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.3% 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, 7.9% of pupils at Seaton Valley High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.6% 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 Seaton Valley High School received £8,658 and spent £8,960 for each of its 657 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £12,000 (-£18 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 Northumberland · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

What is Seaton Valley High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Seaton Valley High School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Seaton Valley High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Seaton Valley High School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Seaton Valley High School have?

Seaton Valley High School has 656 pupils on roll.

What age range does Seaton Valley High School cover?

Seaton Valley High School for pupils aged 13 to 18.

Where is Seaton Valley High School?

Seaton Valley High School is at Prospect Avenue, Seaton Delaval, NE25 0FW.