New Hartley First School
New Hartley, Whitley Bay, NE25 0RD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Keri Dowdney
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Cramlington and Killingworth
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 176
- Pupils on roll
- 165
- URN
- 122224
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01912371218
About this school
New Hartley First School is a community primary school in Whitley Bay. It teaches children aged 3 to 9 and has 165 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How New Hartley First School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 147 |
| 2023/24 | 160 |
| 2024/25 | 169 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How New Hartley First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.1% | 16.2% | 165 | — |
| Seaton Delaval First School | — | 4.1% | 30.5% | 161 | 1.0 miles |
| Holywell Village First School | — | 3.2% | 16.1% | 161 | 1.4 miles |
| Seghill First School | — | 6.3% | 37.9% | 105 | 1.9 miles |
| New Delaval Primary School | 43% | 6% | 49.5% | 219 | 2.0 miles |
| Cramlington Village Primary School | 61% | 5.9% | 35.3% | 171 | 2.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 16.18%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.06%
- Persistent absence
- 6.31%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Seaton Delaval First School1.0 miles
Primary · Whitley Bay
-
Holywell Village First School1.4 miles
Primary · Whitley Bay
-
Seghill First School1.9 miles
Primary · Cramlington
-
New Delaval Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Blyth
-
Cramlington Village Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Cramlington
Other schools in Whitley Bay
- Appletree Gardens First School Primary
- Coquet Park First School Primary
- Holywell Village First School Primary
- Langley First School Primary
- Marine Park First School Primary
- Rockcliffe First School Primary
- Seaton Delaval First School Primary
- Seaton Sluice First School Primary
- South Wellfield First School Primary
- Southridge First School Primary
- Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, Whitley Bay Primary
- Whitley Lodge First School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does New Hartley First School teach?
- New Hartley First School teaches children aged 3 to 9. It is a primary school in Whitley Bay.
- Who is the headteacher of New Hartley First School?
- The headteacher of New Hartley First School is Mrs Keri Dowdney, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was New Hartley First School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected New Hartley First School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is New Hartley First School?
- New Hartley First School has 165 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 9.
- Is New Hartley First School full?
- New Hartley First School has capacity for 176 pupils and 165 on roll (94%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is New Hartley First School a faith school?
- No. New Hartley First School has no designated religious character.
- Does New Hartley First School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records New Hartley First School as having nursery classes.
- What is New Hartley First School's absence rate?
- New Hartley First School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does New Hartley First School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for New Hartley First School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.