Morpeth Chantry Middle School

Morpeth Chantry Middle School is performing well overall, showing a strong standard in various domains including attendance, behaviour, and inclusion. The school cultivates a positive and safe environment, ensuring that students feel valued and supported. Leaders have implemented effective strategies to improve pupil outcomes and have solid plans for continued development. Attendance rates are commendably higher than national averages, and pupils demonstrate positive behaviour, reflecting the supportive school culture. However, there are areas identified for further improvement, particularly regarding the effective assessment of gaps in learning and ensuring the sustainability of recent improvements, especially for disadvantaged pupils.

Strengths

• Strong attendance and behaviour promote a productive learning environment.
• Leaders effectively support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Pupils achieve well, with above-average outcomes in key stage 2 national tests.
• The curriculum is well sequenced, allowing pupils to build on their knowledge over time.
• A well-sequenced personal development programme enhances pupils' understanding of health and relationships.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers sometimes struggle to accurately identify knowledge gaps in pupil learning.

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 Morpeth Chantry Middle School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 13.8% 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, 2.9% of pupils at Morpeth Chantry Middle School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Morpeth Chantry Middle School had 19.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.8% 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, 16.0% of pupils at Morpeth Chantry Middle School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.5% 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 2024–25 Morpeth Chantry Middle School received £6,936 and spent £6,792 for each of its 556 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £255,000 (£459 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Cheviot Learning Trust, income was £7,854 and spending £7,859 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 Morpeth · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

Morpeth Chantry Middle School is part of Cheviot Learning Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Morpeth Newminster Middle School Morpeth
• Morpeth All Saints Church of England First School Morpeth
• The King Edward VI School Morpeth
• Abbeyfields First School Morpeth
• Morpeth Stobhillgate First School Morpeth
• Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle School Morpeth
• Thropton Village First School Morpeth
• Wylam First School Wylam
• Ovingham Church of England First School Prudhoe
• Ovingham Middle School Prudhoe

What is Morpeth Chantry Middle School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Morpeth Chantry Middle School is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Morpeth Chantry Middle School last inspected by Ofsted?

Morpeth Chantry Middle School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Morpeth Chantry Middle School have?

Morpeth Chantry Middle School has 525 pupils on roll.

What age range does Morpeth Chantry Middle School cover?

Morpeth Chantry Middle School for pupils aged 9 to 13.

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

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Morpeth Chantry Middle School?

Morpeth Chantry Middle School is at Mitford Road, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1RQ.