Spittal Community Primary School, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Spittal Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Berwick-upon-Tweed. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. It was 60% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Spittal Community Primary School in detail
Spittal Community Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a happy community school committed to ensuring that our children achieve their best in learning and social development. Our hardworking staff and governors work with parents and the local community to offer a wide range of challenging learning activities in a safe environment. Please enter and see what we have to offer."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Spittal Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Spittal Community Primary School as their first choice and 26 named it as one of their preferences, for 22 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 Spittal Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Spittal Community Primary School are Prior Park Primary School (0.6 miles, Good); St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, Berwick (0.9 miles); Tweedmouth West Primary School (0.9 miles, Good); and Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School (1.3 miles, Good).
Prior Park Primary SchoolSt Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, BerwickTweedmouth West Primary SchoolHoly Trinity Church of England Primary School
What parents say
48 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Spittal Community Primary 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 pupils behave well (96%).
Who goes there
3.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 30 pupils (23.4%) received SEN support and 5 (3.9%) 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
Spittal Community Primary School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Berwick upon Tweed Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St John's Church (outside), 70 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Spittal Community Primary 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); 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from July 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a warm, caring village school where children thrive. Strong relationships between staff and families create a supportive environment, and pupils display exemplary behaviour with genuine kindness towards each other. The school is particularly strong in reading and mathematics, with well-trained staff who understand how children learn best.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary pupil behaviour and positive attitudes to learning throughout the school -
- Reading is taught well with a strong focus from Nursery onwards, resulting in confident, fluent readers -
- Mathematics curriculum is well sequenced with expert teaching that helps pupils build knowledge effectively -
- Strong support for pupils with SEND, who access the curriculum well alongside their peers -
- Excellent provision for pupils' wellbeing and personal development with a wide range of visits and activities
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects lack clear guidance on the most important knowledge pupils need to learn and remember, affecting consistency across the curriculum -
- Early years learning environment and activities do not always support children to practise and develop new knowledge and skills securely
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Beach visits, milk monitors, sports leaders, school councillors, clubs, enrichment visits and visitors to school
Spittal Community School is a caring village school where pupils are happy, safe and achieve well. The school has successfully maintained the good standards from its previous inspection, with strong relationships between families and staff.
At a Glance
32.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
48 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
21.3
Avg class size
19.0
Infant (KS1)
23.7
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Spittal Community Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Spittal Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Spittal Community Primary 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
2 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 Spittal Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Spittal Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Spittal Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Spittal Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Spittal Community Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Northumberland, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Spittal Community Primary 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
60%
Available places
103 pupils
171 places
68 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Berwick-upon-Tweed
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Berwick-upon-Tweed
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
30
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
27.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
128
Total Pupils
67
Boys
61
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
16.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,052
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,262
Per pupil
£918k
Total funding
£59k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
13.4%
Persistent absence
97
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
Spittal Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Spittal Community Primary School
What is Spittal Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Spittal Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Spittal Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Spittal Community Primary 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 Spittal Community Primary School?
Spittal Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 60% of its 171 places.
How big are the classes at Spittal Community Primary School?
Classes at Spittal Community Primary School average 21.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Spittal Community Primary School?
Spittal Community Primary School has around 128 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Spittal Community Primary School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Spittal Community Primary School in 2024/25. 13.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Spittal Community Primary School?
Apply through Northumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming Spittal Community Primary 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 Spittal Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 2 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 Spittal Community Primary School?
Spittal Community Primary School is at Main Street, Spittal, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 1RD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)