Newbrough Church of England Primary School

Newbrough Church of England Primary School is a small, inclusive school that is performing well overall. Inspectors found a strong early years provision and effective leadership, with most areas of the school meeting expected standards. Safeguarding requirements are met. Pupils feel safe, behave well, and benefit from a broad personal development programme, including trips, clubs and community activities. The school has been part of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust since 2023 and appointed a new headteacher in September 2024; leaders, trust and governance are ambitious and have made improvements to attendance, behaviour, curriculum and the environment. Published key stage 2 outcomes in recent years were affected by cohorts with lower starting points, so they understate the secure progress most pupils make. Notable strengths include the early years, where children get a strong start, and the teaching of phonics, which has been sharpened and is helping pupils become fluent readers and writers. Inclusion is a priority, with effective support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, and attendance has improved. Pupils are happy, kind and engaged, and parents speak highly of the care and SEND support. Areas for further work include ensuring all staff consistently help pupils practise foundational skills such as handwriting, punctuation and spelling; extending assessment across the wider curriculum so gaps in knowledge are identified precisely; embedding pupils' understanding of fundamental British Values, cultures and other faiths; and providing more consistent challenge for higher-attaining pupils. Some support for pupils with SEND could also do more to develop independence.

Strengths

• Early years provision is a strong feature, giving children a confident start to school.
• Phonics teaching has been sharpened, with precise teaching and prompt correction of misconceptions.
• Pupils typically achieve well across the curriculum and can recall and discuss their learning.
• Behaviour is calm and positive, and pupils feel a strong sense of belonging.
• Attendance has improved and persistent absence has decreased.
• Inclusion is a priority, with effective support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Pupils' emotional wellbeing is well supported, and pupils are happy and focused in lessons.
• Personal development is well planned, including healthy relationships, consent and online safety.
• Pupils take part in a wide range of visits, residentials, clubs and community activities.
• Leadership is accurate and ambitious, with effective support from the trust and governance.
• Parents are positive about the school's care and its work to support pupils with SEND.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe.

Areas for Improvement

• Practice of foundational skills such as handwriting, punctuation and spelling varies in quality across classes.
• Assessment across subjects beyond English and mathematics is not sufficiently developed.
• Some pupils are not consistently challenged to deepen their knowledge and work at higher levels.
• Pupils' recall of world religions, cultures and fundamental British Values is not as secure as it could be.
• Support for some pupils with SEND does not always develop their independence as well as it could.
• Recent published key stage 2 outcomes were below national averages, partly due to cohorts with lower starting points.

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 Newbrough Church of England Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.1% 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 Newbrough Church of England Primary 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 Newbrough Church of England Primary School had 14.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 13.8% of pupils at Newbrough Church of England Primary 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 Newbrough Church of England Primary School received £10,085 and spent £9,934 for each of its 68 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £75,000 (£1,102 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, income was £7,271 and spending £7,125 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 Hexham · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

Newbrough Church of England Primary School is part of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Wark Church of England Primary School Hexham
• Henshaw Church of England Primary School Hexham
• Greenhead Church of England Nursery and Primary School Brampton
• Bishop Ian Ramsey CofE Primary School Consett
• Stanhope Barrington CofE Primary School Bishop Auckland
• St Aidan's Church of England Primary School Gateshead
• Northern Saints Church of England Academy Sunderland
• Cleadon Church of England Academy Sunderland
• Green Lane Church of England Primary School Barnard Castle
• Ingleton CofE Primary School Darlington

What is Newbrough Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Newbrough Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Newbrough Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Newbrough Church of England Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Newbrough Church of England Primary School have?

Newbrough Church of England Primary School has 65 pupils on roll.

What age range does Newbrough Church of England Primary School cover?

Newbrough Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Newbrough Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Newbrough Church of England Primary School?

Newbrough Church of England Primary School is at Fourstones, Hexham, Northumberland, NE47 5AQ.