Northumberland Heath Primary School

Northumberland Heath Primary School is a generally well-run and welcoming school where pupils are happy, settled and behave well. The school has responded to a period of significant change and has created a calm, orderly environment. Reading is a clear priority, behaviour and attendance have improved, personal development is well considered, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The early years provision and leadership and management are also strengths. However, the quality of education requires improvement because the curriculum is not implemented consistently well across the school. In many subjects the curriculum is ambitiously designed and well sequenced, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly and supported well in accessing the curriculum. Nevertheless, teaching and activities do not always match the ambition of the curriculum, and assessment does not consistently identify or address misconceptions. As a result, some pupils, including some with SEND, do not achieve as well as they could, including in national assessments. The school's bespoke curriculum for some pupils with SEND is not well designed, with pupils sometimes completing unconnected activities that do not build their knowledge securely. Leaders understand the right priorities and staff feel well supported, but the school now needs to ensure that curriculum implementation is consistently precise and that pupils with SEND receive a well-sequenced academic curriculum. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is part of the Woodland Academy Trust.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, settled and enjoy coming to school.
• Relationships between pupils and staff are warm and respectful.
• Pupils behave well and understand clear routines and expectations.
• Reading is prioritised, with well-trained phonics staff and effective catch-up support.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well designed in most subjects.
• Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and accurately.
• External agency advice is used well to support pupils with SEND.
• Assistive technology helps pupils with communication needs.
• Suspensions have decreased significantly and attendance is improving.
• Personal development is well considered through a rich programme of workshops and activities.
• Staff feel well supported and leaders prioritise well-being and workload.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent, so some pupils do not develop the depth of understanding they need.
• Tasks and activities do not consistently match the ambition of the curriculum.
• Teaching does not always introduce new ideas with enough accuracy and precision.
• Assessment checks do not sufficiently identify or address pupils' misconceptions.
• Some pupils, including some with SEND, do not achieve as well as they could in national assessments.
• The bespoke curriculum for some pupils with SEND is not well sequenced and includes unconnected activities that limit progress.

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 Northumberland Heath Primary School attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.7% 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 Northumberland Heath 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 Northumberland Heath Primary School had 18.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.3% 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, 14.5% of pupils at Northumberland Heath Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% 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 2024–25 Northumberland Heath Primary School received £8,186 and spent £8,338 for each of its 467 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £221,000 (£474 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of The Woodland Academy Trust, income was £8,134 and spending £8,472 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bexley · Bexley local authority: places and applications

Northumberland Heath Primary School is part of The Woodland Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Lime Wood Primary School Erith
• Peareswood Primary School Erith
• Willow Bank Primary School London
• Knockhall Primary School Greenhithe

What is Northumberland Heath Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northumberland Heath Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Northumberland Heath Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northumberland Heath Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Northumberland Heath Primary School have?

Northumberland Heath Primary School has 442 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northumberland Heath Primary School cover?

Northumberland Heath Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Northumberland Heath Primary School?

Northumberland Heath Primary School is at Wheelock Close, Northumberland Heath, Erith, Kent, DA8 1JE.