Prudhoe Castle First School

Prudhoe Castle First School is a small, happy school that pupils enjoy attending. Inspectors found strong provision across the school, with pupils achieving well in most subjects, behaving well, feeling safe and taking part fully in school life. The school has experienced considerable staffing change, but leaders, the Cheviot Learning Trust and governors have brought in experienced support and made rapid improvements. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a particular strength, and these pupils learn well and are included in clubs and activities. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The curriculum is broad and well sequenced, and staff are well supported through trust-wide systems and training. Reading and phonics have been transformed, mathematics is strong, and early years provision is a strength of the school, including for the two-year-olds in Little Castle. Personal development is thorough, with pupils learning about relationships, safety, British values and managing feelings, and this has a positive effect on behaviour and how pupils treat one another. The main areas for improvement are consistency in handwriting and presentation, and the organisation of mathematics lessons for mixed-age classes. In some mathematics lessons, pupils' misconceptions are not addressed quickly enough when teaching is focused on a different year group. The school is already reviewing this and is focused on improving handwriting and presentation so that standards match the improvements made elsewhere.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well in most subjects and try hard to meet the school's high expectations.
• Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is strong.
• The curriculum is broad, well sequenced and identifies key learning and vocabulary.
• Staff are well supported, receive effective training and have strong subject knowledge.
• The teaching of reading and phonics has been transformed and pupils enjoy a rich range of stories, songs and rhymes.
• Pupils at risk of falling behind in reading receive effective extra support to help them catch up.
• The mathematics curriculum is strong and pupils develop secure understanding of concepts and vocabulary.
• Personal development provision is thorough and has a positive impact on behaviour and relationships.
• Pupils feel safe, behave well and treat each other with respect.
• Early years provision is a strength, with well-planned activities and effective communication with parents and carers.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of pupils' handwriting and presentation is inconsistent, and many pupils do not use a fluent handwriting style.
• In some mathematics lessons, pupils' misconceptions are not addressed quickly enough because systems for teaching mixed-age classes are not yet fully embedded.

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 Prudhoe Castle First School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Prudhoe Castle 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 Prudhoe Castle First School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 60.8% 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, 28.4% of pupils at Prudhoe Castle First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.4% 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 Prudhoe Castle First School received £8,411 and spent £9,351 for each of its 82 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £37,000 (£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 Prudhoe · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

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

• Highfield Middle School Prudhoe
• Ovingham Church of England First School Prudhoe
• Ovingham Middle School Prudhoe
• Prudhoe Community High School Prudhoe
• Mickley First School Stocksfield
• Broomley First School Stocksfield
• Wylam First School Wylam
• Whittonstall First School Consett
• Abbeyfields First School Morpeth
• Morpeth Stobhillgate First School Morpeth

What is Prudhoe Castle First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Prudhoe Castle First School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Prudhoe Castle First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Prudhoe Castle First School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Prudhoe Castle First School have?

Prudhoe Castle First School has 74 pupils on roll.

What age range does Prudhoe Castle First School cover?

Prudhoe Castle First School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is Prudhoe Castle First School?

Prudhoe Castle First School is at Castle Road, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6PN.