St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe

St Matthew’s Catholic Primary School is performing well, demonstrating a good overall effectiveness as reflected in various aspects of its operations. The school has shown notable strengths in nurturing a supportive environment, where pupils exhibit exceptional behavior and attitudes. The curriculum has been effectively revised, enabling pupils to excel in their learning, particularly in foundational subjects. The focus on personal development and community involvement helps students grow as responsible citizens, showcasing their learning well beyond academic achievements.

Strengths

• Exceptional behavior and attitudes of pupils.
• Effective curriculum revisions leading to improved learning outcomes.
• Strong focus on personal development and well-being.
• High levels of community engagement and charitable work.
• Supportive staff who promote a positive learning environment.
• Outstanding opportunities for extra-curricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent support for younger pupils' writing skills.
• Lack of systems to assess knowledge in some revised foundation subjects.

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 St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe attended 97.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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, 0.7% of pupils at St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe had 19.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 14.6% of pupils at St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe received £7,181 and spent £7,558 for each of its 142 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £108,000 (-£762 per pupil).

Across all 46 schools of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,708 and spending £7,760 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 Prudhoe · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• St Agnes' Catholic Primary School, Crawcrook Ryton
• St Mary & St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School, Blaydon Blaydon-On-Tyne
• St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon Blaydon-On-Tyne
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blaydon Blaydon-On-Tyne
• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Byermoor Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Blackhill Consett
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Dipton Stanley
• Our Lady and St Joseph Brooms Catholic Primary School, Leadgate Consett
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Consett Consett
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

What is St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe last inspected by Ofsted?

St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe have?

St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe has 144 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe cover?

St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 94% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe?

St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe is at Highfield Lane, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6EY.