Valley Gardens Middle School
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Valley Gardens Middle School is a foundation school in Whitley Bay for boys and girls aged 9 to 13. It has 768 pupils and room for 771. About 6 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 94 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.
Valley Gardens, Whitley Bay, NE25 9AQ0191 917 6667vgms.ukMr David Godfrey headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 November 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.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
192 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | North Tyneside | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 192 | 194 | 192 | 191 | 192 | 190 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 76% | 80% | 88% | 79% | 75% | 63% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 15% | 20% | 23% | 29% | 24% | 20% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 109.0 | 109.0 | 109.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 | 105.8 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 107.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 | 104.6 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 107.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 | 110.0 | 106.0 | 105.5 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 90% | 89% | 90% | 91% | 87% | 84% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 85% | 87% | 83% | 90% | 86% | 87% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 77% | 91% | 95% | 96% | 91% | 89% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +0.7 | +1.4 | -0.3 | -0.7 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -0.6 | +0.1 | +0.0 | -0.6 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 50% | 75% | 60% | 75% | 50% | 25% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 75% | 76% | 81% | 89% | 81% | 77% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
The school is full, with 50 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. 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 North Tyneside council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school), for moderate learning difficulties.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in North Tyneside with moderate learning difficulties provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (42), emotional and mental health (23), language and communications needs (17), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), Physical disability (3), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 768 | 773 | 766 | 772 | 765 | 757 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 6% | 6% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 3% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 11% | 11% | 8% | 8% | 9% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.1% | 4.6% | 4.2% | 6.1% | 2.5% | 3.8% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.6% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 5.2% | 2.2% | 2.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 6.2% | 8.9% | 6.6% | 13.6% | 3.2% | 5.0% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 6.2 | 5.2 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 3.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitley Bay High School | Foundation | 270 m | 1,797 | Outstanding 2024 | 85 | Compare |
| Southridge First School | Council | 300 m | 321 | Good 2022 | 84 | Compare |
| Monkseaton Coastal School | Foundation | 0.6 miles | 203 | Good 2021 | 11 | Compare |
| Whitley Lodge First School | Council | 0.6 miles | 250 | Report card 2026 | 93 | Compare |
| Coquet Park First School | Council | 0.7 miles | 169 | No overall grade 2025 | 99 | Compare |
| Appletree Gardens First School | Foundation | 0.7 miles | 292 | Good 2024 | 37 | Compare |
| Langley First School | Council | 0.8 miles | 295 | Good 2022 | 58 | Compare |
| Woodlawn School | Foundation special school | 0.8 miles | 178 | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Valley Gardens Middle School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 94 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 94% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 88 to 98. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well above | +0.80 | Ofsted grade, 1.8 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | -0.01 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well above | +0.39 | 2024/25; 774 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 Valley Gardens Middle School a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Valley Gardens Middle School scores 94 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 88 to 98, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Valley Gardens Middle School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Valley Gardens Middle School not judged at its last full inspection on 19 November 2024.
How good are Valley Gardens Middle School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 72% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 15% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Valley Gardens Middle School have?
768 pupils aged 9 to 13 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 771 places, so it is 100% full.
Is Valley Gardens Middle School oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 50 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at Valley Gardens Middle School?
Pupils were in school 95.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Valley Gardens Middle School?
The average class had 28.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 56% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Valley Gardens Middle School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for moderate learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Valley Gardens Middle School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Valley Gardens, Whitley Bay, NE25 9AQ
- Telephone
- 0191 917 6667
- Website
- www.vgms.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr David Godfrey
- Type of school
- Foundation school (Foundation school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Middle school, ages 9-13
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- The North Tyneside Learning Trust (28 schools)
- Local authority
- North Tyneside
- Ward
- Whitley Bay North
- Constituency
- Tynemouth
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 108636 · LAESTAB 3924026 · UKPRN 10018801
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.