South Wellfield First School, Whitley Bay

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 39

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~685m)Possible (~978m)Unlikely (~1.3km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Andrew Richardson-Brown
Pupils:345 / 300 capacity
LA:North Tyneside
Phone:01912361555
Address:Otterburn Avenue, South Wellfield, Whitley Bay, NE25 9QL
Federation:Renara Federation
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 8 October 2024View full report
URN:108588
UKPRN:10077808
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Tynemouth
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

South Wellfield provides an imaginative, engaging education where children genuinely enjoy learning. Teachers use creative approaches including visits to places of interest, and the school has strong leadership focused on helping all pupils achieve their best. Behaviour is excellent, with a caring community where pupils are proud of their school.

Key Strengths

  • Strong leadership that holds staff accountable and identifies underachieving pupils promptly
  • Improved mathematics teaching with pupils developing strong calculation and reasoning skills
  • Excellent behaviour with pupils being courteous, polite and taking responsibility as buddies and school councillors
  • Effective early years provision with children making rapid progress in number skills and phonics
  • Well-organised visits and enrichment activities that enhance learning (Roman remains, Hindu Temple, synagogue)

Areas for Improvement

  • Teachers' questioning is sometimes not probing enough to encourage deep thinking
  • Inconsistent standards of spelling, handwriting and presentation across different subjects and classes
  • Some pupils not getting enough opportunities to practise writing skills in subjects beyond English
  • Parent communication could be improved as some parents feel uncomfortable contacting the school
  • Disadvantaged pupils' progress needs to be monitored more closely

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective with rigorous procedures, comprehensive records, regular staff training, and pupils having good awareness of how to keep themselves safe in various situations.

Extracurricular Activities

School visits to Roman remains, Hindu Temple, synagogue, theatre visits, class assemblies, buddy and school councillor roles

South Wellfield First School continues to be good, with maintained quality of education since the last inspection in 2010. The leadership team has successfully raised staff expectations and improved pupils' progress through curriculum revisions and more imaginative teaching approaches.

At a Glance

4.3%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

80 responses
Would recommend96%
Child is happy98%
Well taught95%
Good progress94%
Feels safe96%
Well behaved93%
Bullying dealt with11%
Kept informed90%
Handles concerns59%
Wider development91%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

28.5

Avg class size

27.2

Infant (KS1)

29.5

KS2

11

Total classes

4 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Social & online

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

West Monkseaton (Tyne and Wear Metro Station)
836m · 14 min walk
Shiremoor (Tyne and Wear Metro Station) (platform 1)
1.0km · 17 min walk

Bus Stops

South Wellfield (NW-Bound)
159m · 3 min walk
Harewood Crescent-Harewood Court (SW-Bound)
200m · 3 min walk
Wilton Drive-Shops (NE-Bound)
237m · 4 min walk
Earsdon Grange (S-Bound)
359m · 6 min walk
South Wellfield-Earsdon Road (NW-Bound)
379m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

115%

Over capacity

345 pupils

300 capacity

45 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Whitley Bay

High pressure
New homes approved:904
Projected new pupils:226

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Whitley Bay

Admissions Demand - North Tyneside

Low demand0.81x oversubscription

Places available

2,530

Applications

2,044

Got 1st preference

92.4%

Got preferred school

97.5%

Primary admissions across North Tyneside (2025/26)

Inspection History(6)

8 October 2024
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsGood
8 June 2021
7 June 2016

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SEN Provision

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

3.36821%

Overall absence

3.7037%

Persistent absence

243

Enrolments

Authorised2.38022%
Unauthorised0.98799%
Persistent (10%+)3.7037%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

3.42703%
18/19
1.70225%
20/21
4.6704%
21/22
3.67113%
22/23
4.12858%
23/24
3.36821%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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