Abbeyfields First School

Abbeyfields First School is a welcoming, happy school where pupils feel safe and are proud to attend. Pupils are polite, behave well in lessons and around school, and say bullying is rare. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive timely, effective support, and children in the early years get an excellent start to their education. This was the school’s first section 5 inspection; it is part of the Cheviot Learning Trust, and under the current framework it has not been given an overall effectiveness grade. The curriculum is ambitious and sequenced, with reading at its heart and strong early reading and phonics practice. Personal development is a particular strength, and pupils benefit from leadership roles, clubs and careers-related activity. Attendance is prioritised, safeguarding arrangements are effective, staff feel supported, and governors hold leaders to account. The main area for improvement is that monitoring and evaluation are less developed in some subjects than others, so checks on what pupils know and remember are not consistent across all subjects. The school also notes that some children find it difficult to match behaviour expectations consistently, although most behaviour is good.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, are polite and behave well in lessons and around school.
• Pupils with SEND receive timely and effective support and learn alongside their peers where possible.
• The curriculum is ambitious and sequenced so pupils build knowledge progressively.
• Reading is central to the curriculum, with strong phonics and early reading support.
• Early years provision gives children an excellent start and develops independence and resilience.
• Personal development is outstanding and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils have meaningful leadership roles and access to a wide range of clubs and activities.
• Attendance is prioritised and promoted rigorously.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff appreciate support for well-being and workload, and governors provide appropriate support and challenge.

Areas for Improvement

• Monitoring and evaluation are less developed in some subjects than others.
• Checks on what pupils know and remember are not consistent across all subjects.
• Curriculum adaptation is more successful in some subjects than others.
• Some children find it difficult to match the school’s behaviour expectations consistently.

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 Abbeyfields First School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.1% 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 Abbeyfields First 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 Abbeyfields First School had 24.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.4% 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, 10.5% of pupils at Abbeyfields First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 Abbeyfields First School received £6,679 and spent £6,529 for each of its 306 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £141,000 (£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

Abbeyfields First School is part of Cheviot Learning Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is Abbeyfields First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Abbeyfields First School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Abbeyfields First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Abbeyfields First School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Abbeyfields First School have?

Abbeyfields First School has 324 pupils on roll.

What age range does Abbeyfields First School cover?

Abbeyfields First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Abbeyfields First School?

Abbeyfields First School is at Abbot's Way, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2LZ.