Ovingham Church of England First School

Ovingham Church of England First School has been evaluated as good overall in its first inspection since converting to an academy. The school has established a positive atmosphere where pupils feel safe and are motivated to learn, supported by a curriculum that has been reviewed post-COVID-19. Pupils achieve high levels of success, enjoy their learning experiences, and are well supported, particularly with reading and in addressing their special educational needs. The leadership demonstrates ambition and commitment to enhancing the quality of education provided.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well and understand the school's behaviour systems.
• A strong emphasis on reading promotes fluency and confidence among pupils.
• The school has a well-structured curriculum that includes a broad range of subjects.
• Effective support is provided for pupils with special educational needs.
• Governors are effective in providing support and challenge to school leaders.
• Strong community links enhance the learning experience for pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils lack a full understanding of wider British values, particularly in regard to respect and tolerance for different genders.
• Opportunities for staff intervention are sometimes missed when pupils lose focus or struggle with new 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 Ovingham Church of England First School attended 96.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Ovingham Church of England 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 Ovingham Church of England First School had 14.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 39.6% 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, 16.8% of pupils at Ovingham Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.9% 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 Ovingham Church of England First School received £6,830 and spent £6,273 for each of its 120 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £55,000 (£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

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

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

What is Ovingham Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ovingham Church of England First School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Ovingham Church of England First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ovingham Church of England First School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Ovingham Church of England First School have?

Ovingham Church of England First School has 107 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ovingham Church of England First School cover?

Ovingham Church of England First School for pupils aged 5 to 9.

Where is Ovingham Church of England First School?

Ovingham Church of England First School is at Ovingham, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6DE.