Valley Gardens Middle School, Whitley Bay

Outstanding
Secondary
Foundation school
Mixed
Ages 913

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~419m)Possible (~598m)Unlikely (~777m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr David Godfrey
Pupils:768 / 771 capacity
LA:North Tyneside
Phone:01919176667
Website:vgms.uk
Address:Valley Gardens, Whitley Bay, NE25 9AQ
Trust:The North Tyneside Learning Trust
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Outstanding

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Outstanding

Leadership & Management

Inspected 19 November 2024View full report
URN:108636
UKPRN:10018801
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Tynemouth
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its June 2013 inspection — up from Good.

Rated Outstanding for

Leadership & management.

A plain-English summary of the full inspection report is coming soon.

At a Glance

6.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

293 responses
Would recommend75%
Child is happy77%
Well taught79%
Good progress88%
Feels safe86%
Well behaved83%
Bullying dealt with13%
Kept informed80%
Handles concerns45%
Wider development72%

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

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+1ppMaths-2ppWriting-14pp

Reading has remained stable at around 90%. Maths has remained stable at around 85%. Writing has declined from 91% to 77%.

Class Sizes

25.5

Avg class size

29

Total classes

12 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Social & online

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

West Monkseaton (Tyne and Wear Metro Station) (platform 2)
841m · 14 min walk
Monkseaton (Tyne and Wear Metro Station) (platform 2)
885m · 14 min walk

Bus Stops

Uplands Estate (SW-Bound)
116m · 2 min walk
Beaumont Park (SW-Bound)
181m · 3 min walk
Monkseaton Drive-Gleneagles Court (SW-Bound)
276m · 4 min walk
Monkseaton Drive-Clifton Grove (NE-Bound)
358m · 6 min walk
Newsteads Drive-Birkdale (N-Bound)
403m · 7 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

100%

Over capacity

768 pupils

771 capacity

3 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Whitley Bay

Low pressure
New homes approved:904
Projected new pupils:163

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Whitley Bay

Admissions Demand - North Tyneside

Low demand1.01x oversubscription

Places available

1,697

Applications

1,716

Got 1st preference

85.8%

Got preferred school

94.9%

Secondary admissions across North Tyneside (2025/26)

Inspection History(6)

19 November 2024
Quality of EducationOutstanding
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
25 June 2013
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
9 January 2012

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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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

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.10957%

Overall absence

6.20155%

Persistent absence

774

Enrolments

Authorised3.62036%
Unauthorised0.48921%
Persistent (10%+)6.20155%
Severe (50%+)1.03359%

Absence trend

3.77333%
18/19
2.47927%
20/21
6.12124%
21/22
4.22513%
22/23
4.59745%
23/24
4.10957%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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