Croftway Academy

Croftway Academy has demonstrated outstanding performance across all areas of education since its inaugural inspection as an academy. The school offers a rich, well-planned curriculum and high-quality teaching, allowing pupils to thrive both academically and socially. Strong relationships between staff, pupils, and parents create a supportive environment where pupils feel safe and happy. Leaders are ambitious and dedicated, leading to exemplary behaviour among students and a strong commitment to personal development. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has managed to ensure that students are catching up quickly, particularly in mathematics and writing.

Strengths

• Inspirational school environment where pupils flourish
• Excellent relationships between staff, pupils, and parents
• Well-planned and ambitious curriculum tailored to local community needs
• High-quality teaching ensures pupils make excellent progress
• Pupils demonstrate exemplary behaviour and maturity
• Strong focus on mental health and well-being
• Highly effective support for pupils with special educational needs
• Pupils have enthusiasm for reading and access a wide variety of books
• Significant improvement in attendance

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 Croftway Academy attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.8% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Croftway Academy 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 Croftway Academy had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.3% 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, 22.4% of pupils at Croftway Academy 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 Croftway Academy received £7,192 and spent £7,090 for each of its 405 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £551,000 (£1,362 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Wise Academies, income was £8,327 and spending £8,361 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 Blyth · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

Croftway Academy is part of Wise Academies, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Malvin's Close Academy Blyth
• Morpeth Road Academy Blyth
• Central Academy Ashington
• Bothal Academy Ashington
• Ashley Academy South Shields
• Welbeck Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Town End Academy Sunderland
• Bexhill Academy Sunderland
• North View Academy Sunderland
• Hasting Hill Academy Sunderland

What is Croftway Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Croftway Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Croftway Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Croftway Academy was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Croftway Academy have?

Croftway Academy has 416 pupils on roll.

What age range does Croftway Academy cover?

Croftway Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Croftway Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Croftway Academy?

Croftway Academy is at William Street, Blyth, Northumberland, NE24 2HP.