Morpeth Stobhillgate First School

Morpeth Stobhillgate First School is a calm, welcoming school where pupils feel safe and valued and behaviour is exemplary. This was its first inspection since becoming an academy and joining the Cheviot Trust. Inspectors judged the quality of education and leadership and management to be good, with behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision outstanding. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The curriculum is coherent and well implemented, reading is a particular strength, pupils with SEND achieve well, and the early years provision gives children an excellent start. The main area for improvement is that some lesson tasks are too challenging for a small number of pupils, who become confused and do not secure the intended knowledge. Staff should make sure lesson content is carefully matched to pupils’ needs and that appropriate support is provided when required.

Strengths

• Calm, welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and valued
• Exemplary behaviour and attitudes to learning
• Outstanding personal development with strong respect, inclusion and community opportunities
• Outstanding early years provision that gives children the best possible start
• Coherent, high-quality curriculum with effective teaching so pupils achieve highly
• Strong reading curriculum and highly skilled staff help pupils become confident, fluent readers
• Pupils with SEND achieve well and receive effective support to access the curriculum
• Trustees and governors know the school well and hold leaders to account
• Leaders are considerate of staff workload and well-being
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Some lesson tasks are too challenging for a small number of pupils, leaving them confused and not securing intended knowledge
• Staff should better match lesson content to pupils’ needs and provide appropriate support when required

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 Morpeth Stobhillgate First School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.7% 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 Morpeth Stobhillgate 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 Morpeth Stobhillgate First School had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.7% 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, 21.2% of pupils at Morpeth Stobhillgate First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% 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 Morpeth Stobhillgate First School received £7,414 and spent £6,970 for each of its 155 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £71,000 (£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

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

• Abbeyfields First School Morpeth
• The King Edward VI School Morpeth
• Morpeth Chantry Middle School Morpeth
• Morpeth Newminster Middle School Morpeth
• Morpeth All Saints Church of England 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 Morpeth Stobhillgate First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Morpeth Stobhillgate First School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Morpeth Stobhillgate First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Morpeth Stobhillgate First School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Morpeth Stobhillgate First School have?

Morpeth Stobhillgate First School has 165 pupils on roll.

What age range does Morpeth Stobhillgate First School cover?

Morpeth Stobhillgate First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Morpeth Stobhillgate First School?

Morpeth Stobhillgate First School is at Stobhillgate, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2HA.