Prudhoe Castle First School, Prudhoe
Prudhoe Castle First School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 9 in Prudhoe, part of Cheviot Learning Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. It was 50% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Northumberland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Prudhoe Castle First School in detail
Prudhoe Castle First School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Our setting is open to 2-5 years and we have a dedicated team who will work with you at each stage of your child’s development. We are an enthusiastic and nurturing team, who are dedicated to helping your child grow and develop."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Prudhoe Castle First School
For September 2026 entry, 15 families put Prudhoe Castle First School as their first choice and 23 named it as one of their preferences, for 15 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 Prudhoe Castle First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Prudhoe Castle First School are Prudhoe West Academy (0.3 miles, Good); St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe (0.4 miles, Good, 100% reading, 94% maths); Ovingham Church of England First School (0.5 miles, Good); and Adderlane Academy (1 mile, Good).
Prudhoe West AcademySt Matthew's Catholic Primary School, PrudhoeOvingham Church of England First SchoolAdderlane Academy
The trust
Prudhoe Castle First School is one of 18 schools run by Cheviot Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
21 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Prudhoe Castle First School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that they are kept well informed about progress (95%).
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 21 pupils (28.4%) received SEN support and 4 (5.4%) 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
Prudhoe Castle First School had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 10 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Prudhoe Station, about 510 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Prudhoe Castle First School (adjacent), 40 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Prudhoe Castle First School issued 2 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Prudhoe Castle First School are Highfield Middle School (0.4 miles), Ovingham Middle School (0.5 miles) and Prudhoe Community High School (0.7 miles).
Highfield Middle SchoolOvingham Middle SchoolPrudhoe Community High School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will thrive in a warm, ambitious school where effort is celebrated and every pupil matters. The school excels at early reading, teaching phonics in an engaging way, and provides strong support for children who need extra help. Pupils develop excellent social skills and learn to respect each other while enjoying a rich range of activities and experiences.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading provision with effective phonics teaching and support for pupils falling behind
- Broad, well-sequenced curriculum with clear vocabulary focus that staff know how to teach
- Excellent provision for pupils with SEND, who are well supported and keep up with peers
- Outstanding early years provision that prepares children well for key stage 1
- Calm, purposeful lessons and breaktimes where pupils behave respectfully and feel safe
Areas for Improvement
- Handwriting and presentation of work are inconsistent - pupils need more focused teaching in these skills
- In mathematics lessons, pupils' misconceptions in mixed-age classes are not always addressed quickly enough
- Systems for teaching mathematics to mixed-age groups need to be more embedded
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff quick to sort out any problems and pupils knowing when and how to seek help.
Extracurricular Activities
Yoga, music, sports clubs, cancer run fundraising, residentials, team-building activities, visits to places of worship
Prudhoe Castle First School is a good school where pupils enjoy learning and achieve well across most subjects. The school has implemented a strong, well-sequenced curriculum and made rapid improvements despite recent staffing changes.
At a Glance
25.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
21 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
21.7
Avg class size
21.0
Infant (KS1)
19.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Prudhoe Castle First School
April/May Newsletter
2 Jul 2026
June Newsletter
2 Jul 2026
July Newsletter
2 Jul 2026
March Newsletter
10 Mar 2026
December Newsletter
3 Dec 2025
September Newsletter
2 Dec 2025
From Prudhoe Castle First School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Prudhoe Castle First School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Prudhoe Castle First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Prudhoe Castle 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Prudhoe Castle First School
Will you get a place at Prudhoe Castle First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Prudhoe Castle First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Prudhoe Castle First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Prudhoe Castle First School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Northumberland, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Prudhoe Castle First School for 2020 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
50%
Available places
60 pupils
120 places
60 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Prudhoe
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Prudhoe
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(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
33.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
74
Total Pupils
37
Boys
37
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
12.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,453
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,289
Per pupil
£493k
Total funding
£29k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
8.5%
Persistent absence
47
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Prudhoe Castle First School
Questions parents ask about Prudhoe Castle First School
What is Prudhoe Castle First School's Ofsted rating?
Prudhoe Castle First School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Prudhoe Castle First School?
No fixed boundary. When Prudhoe Castle 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 Prudhoe Castle First School?
Prudhoe Castle First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 50% of its 120 places.
How big are the classes at Prudhoe Castle First School?
Classes at Prudhoe Castle First School average 21.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Prudhoe Castle First School?
Prudhoe Castle First School has around 74 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Prudhoe Castle First School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Prudhoe Castle First School in 2024/25. 8.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Prudhoe Castle First School?
Apply through Northumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming Prudhoe Castle 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 Prudhoe Castle First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Prudhoe Castle First School?
Prudhoe Castle First School is at Castle Road, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6PN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)