School Chooser

Abbeyfields First School

Primary · ages 3-9MixedAcademy324 pupilsNurseryMorpethNorthumberland
School Chooser Score
84
Above
similar schools
Likely range 64 to 93
Out of 100. Better than 77% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, December 2024
Attendance96.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families7%Far fewer than most schools
Places54 spare324 pupils, 378 places
Pupils per teacher24.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll324Census January 2026

Abbeyfields First School is a converter academy in Morpeth for boys and girls aged 3 to 9. It has 324 pupils and room for 378. About 7 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 84 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 77% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Abbot's Way, Morpeth, NE61 2LZ01670 513582afs.cheviotlt.co.ukMr Ben Henderson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 10 December 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Catchment area

Northumberland council has drawn an official catchment area for this school. You can see it on the map below; it covers about 2.1 square kilometres. Living inside it moves your child up the queue when there are more applicants than places. It doesn't guarantee a place: the council's admissions rules decide the order.

Set your home postcode at the top of the page to see whether you live inside it.

Nearly full285 pupils for 288 places, 2024/25
99% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Northumberland council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

What a home inside the catchment costs

Typical sale price inside the catchment£240,000half sold for £182k to £340k
Homes sold101December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+15%a typical home in the district sells for £209,085

Every home sold inside the council's catchment area, of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll324Census January 2026
Places37886% full
Pupils from low-income families7%7% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support11%34 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%10 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.511 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils18%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)6%£26,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls173 / 151
White British pupils92%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 26.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (21), Autistic spectrum disorder (11), emotional and mental health (11), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll324325344334340347
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals7%8%8%8%8%8%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%1%1%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support9%18%12%13%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%2%2%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.7%4.5%4.6%5.2%2.3%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.9%3.4%3.6%4.6%2.0%3.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%1.1%1.0%0.6%0.3%0.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.1%10.3%7.4%12.6%3.4%5.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.30.60.00.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers13.0full-time equivalent, 14 people
Pupils per teacher24.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants16.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,824
Teachers who left in the year15%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.32024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,147England £7,128. Total £1.9m
Income per pupil£6,624England £7,587. Total £2.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,964England £3,405
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £141k, £459 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£146kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,147spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m9012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate112 per 1,000 people23% higher than the England average
Typical house price£207,950Northumberland
Nearest bus stop130 mWoodhill Drive, 7 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Roberts Catholic First School, MorpethAcademy580 m177Not inspectedCompare
Morpeth Newminster Middle SchoolAcademy680 m521Report card 202648Compare
Morpeth Chantry Middle SchoolAcademy750 m525Report card 202656Compare
Morpeth All Saints Church of England First SchoolAcademy0.7 miles231Report card 202615Compare
Morpeth First SchoolCouncil0.9 miles320Good 202259Compare
Morpeth Stobhillgate First SchoolAcademy1.1 miles165No overall grade 202490Compare
Pegswood Primary SchoolCouncil2.5 miles133Good 202223Compare
Stannington First SchoolCouncil4.0 miles126Good 202271Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Abbeyfields First School with the 47 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats77%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 84 is 12 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 72 · highest 97100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 84 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 84% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 64 to 93. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.29
Ofsted grade, 1.8 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.06
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.26
2024/25; 235 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Abbeyfields First School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Abbeyfields First School scores 84 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 77% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 64 to 93, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Abbeyfields First School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Abbeyfields First School not judged at its last full inspection on 10 December 2024.

How many pupils does Abbeyfields First School have?

324 pupils aged 3 to 9 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 378 places, so it is 86% full.

Is Abbeyfields First School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Abbeyfields First School?

Pupils were in school 96.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Abbeyfields First School?

The average class had 29.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 18% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Abbot's Way, Morpeth, NE61 2LZ
Telephone
01670 513582
Website
afs.cheviotlt.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr Ben Henderson
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-9, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Cheviot Learning Trust (18 schools)
Local authority
Northumberland
Ward
Morpeth Kirkhill
Constituency
North Northumberland
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 May 2017 (academy converter)
URN
144181 · LAESTAB 9292354 · UKPRN 10063842
Formerly
Abbeyfields First School

Where these figures come from