Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School, Morpeth
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 9 in Morpeth. It has a Church of England religious character. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2026, ended in a report card: 3 strong standard, 3 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Before that it was rated Good at its last graded inspection, in March 2012. It was 84% full in 2025.
- Ofsted report card
- 1 area need attention
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Northumberland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 10 March 2026 inspection grades Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School on 7 areas: 3 strong standard, 3 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils' attendance is consistently high."
Early years - Strong standard. "Children in the early years get off to a very positive start."
Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have developed an effective approach to supporting pupils' personal development and wellbeing."
Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils achieve well."
Inclusion - Expected standard. "Longhorsley is an inclusive school."
Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders and governors have a clear and accurate understanding of the school's context, strengths and priorities for improvement."
Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have recently redesigned and strengthened the curriculum across several subjects."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge and skills, particularly handwriting and the use of capital letters, are identified and closed"; "Leaders should strengthen how assessment is used during lessons and over time so that misconceptions can be accurately identified and gaps closed"; "Leaders should further embed the effective use of adaptations in lessons to consistently and effectively meet the needs of all learners"; "Leaders should strengthen their oversight of the curriculum to ensure it is implemented consistently across the year groups and meets the needs of all the pupils in the school".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School in its own words
In its own words: "Longhorsley St Helen’s Church of England First School is a happy, caring school where all children are nurtured and encouraged to reach their full potential. As a Church of England school the Christian ethos is central to the life of the school community."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School
For September 2026 entry, 16 families put Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School as their first choice and 24 named it as one of their preferences, for 16 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School are Tritlington Church of England First School (2.9 miles, Good); and Felton Church of England Primary School (4.5 miles, Good, 91% reading, 82% maths).
Tritlington Church of England First SchoolFelton Church of England Primary School
What parents say
41 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School (as of April 2026): 85% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 0% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (0%).
Who goes there
2.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 17 pupils (17.7%) received SEN support and 2 (2.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 9 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Green (nb), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Northumberland (44).
Suspensions and exclusions
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 7 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards met
- Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
- Early yearsStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
- AchievementExpected standard
- InclusionExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School
Pupils happily attend this school. It is warm and welcoming. Every pupil is known and valued. Children who join school later than their peers settle in quickly and make good friends. Children in the early years get off to a flying start. They are supported to learn by highly-skilled staff. Children in the Nursery Year are supported to work alongside Reception-age children, who help and encourage them in their learning. Pupils across the school are enthusiastic about learning. They show resilience when faced with more challenging tasks. Pupils are reflective and have a good knowledge of local, national and global issues. Pupil ambassadors from across the school choose which charities the school should support. They promote these to other pupils at school and to members of the wider community. Recent charitable work has allowed pupils to understand the importance of fair trade and its impact on farmers globally. Pupils are knowledgeable about important British values and model these consistently. They are respectful of adults and each other. They are provided with opportunities to explore other faiths and cultures. They embrace these with enthusiasm. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for life in modern Britain. Pupils behave well. Pupils love the social times and enjoy a range of activities. They engage well with each other, for example when working together to make a sophisticated bug hotel. Pupils say there is no bullying, but are confident that if there was, staff would deal with it. Barriers faced by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are quickly identified. Swift action is taken to address needs. There is occasional variability in the effectiveness of support offered to enable pupils to make academic progress during lessons.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should ensure that gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge and skills, particularly handwriting and the use of capital letters, are identified and closed.
- Leaders should strengthen how assessment is used during lessons and over time so that misconceptions can be accurately identified and gaps closed.
- Leaders should further embed the effective use of adaptations in lessons to consistently and effectively meet the needs of all learners.
- Leaders should strengthen their oversight of the curriculum to ensure it is implemented consistently across the year groups and meets the needs of all the pupils in the school.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 10 March 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Pupils genuinely enjoy attending this warm, welcoming school where every child is known and valued. The school excels at early reading with phonics results consistently above the national average, and has developed an impressive personal development programme that helps even young pupils understand important values like tolerance, respect and democracy. Strong attendance and behaviour, combined with a commitment to inclusion and wellbeing, create an environment where all pupils can thrive.
Key Strengths
- Consistently high attendance across all groups of pupils with very low persistent absence rates
- Strong behaviour and positive relationships throughout the school with no bullying incidents
- Excellent early years provision with high expectations and systematic phonics teaching
- Well-planned personal development programme helping pupils understand tolerance, respect and democracy
- Inclusive approach with prompt identification of barriers to learning for pupils with SEND
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent implementation of curriculum delivery and assessment practices across the school
- Some pupils not always challenged appropriately or provided with work suited to their ability level
- Progress of older pupils with SEND occasionally slows and gaps in learning not consistently identified
- Limited opportunities for pupils to practise multiplication tables and newly acquired mathematical skills
- Some pupils unclear about how to improve their work
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met with an open and positive culture where all staff uphold their responsibilities and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Astronomy club, forest school, choir, theatre visits, zoo trip
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School is a warm and welcoming school where pupils are known and valued. The school has strong attendance and behaviour, with effective early years provision and a well-developed approach to personal development.
At a Glance
2.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
23.3
Avg class size
18.0
Infant (KS1)
24.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School is in Northumberland; for families living there:
Apply to Northumberland for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Northumberland is 3 (the median across 175 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School
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What the report includes for Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School:
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- Applications, first choices and offers at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Northumberland got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
84%
Available places
73 pupils
87 places
14 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Morpeth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Morpeth
Across Northumberland council
Places available
3,735
Applications
2,569
Got 1st preference
96.8%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Northumberland council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
19.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
96
Total Pupils
46
Boys
50
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
12.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,193
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,526
Per pupil
£511k
Total funding
£2k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.3%
Overall absence
1.8%
Persistent absence
57
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School
What is Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School's Ofsted rating?
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School?
No fixed boundary. When Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School is oversubscribed, Northumberland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School?
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 84% of its 87 places.
How big are the classes at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School?
Classes at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School average 23.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School?
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School has around 96 pupils on roll. 2% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School?
3.3% of sessions were missed at Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School in 2024/25. 1.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School?
Apply through Northumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Northumberland is 3 (the median across 175 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School?
Longhorsley St Helen's Church of England Aided First School is at Drummonds Close, Longhorsley, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 8UT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)