Whittingham Church of England Primary School
Whittingham, Alnwick, NE66 4UP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Belinda Athey
- Diocese
- Diocese of Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- North Northumberland
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 81
- URN
- 122279
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01665574222
About this school
Whittingham Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Alnwick. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 81 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Whittingham Church of England Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 11 | 11 | 14 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% | 73% | 50% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 0% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 82% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 73% | 50% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 73% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 99.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Whittingham Church of England Primary 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 | Northumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 64% | 54.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 52.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 50% | 56% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 98 |
| 2023/24 | 91 |
| 2024/25 | 90 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Whittingham Church of England Primary School compares
Whittingham Church of England Primary School ranked 52nd of 72 primary schools in Northumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50% | 3.9% | 6.4% | 81 | — |
| Branton Primary School and Nursery | — | — | — | 39 | 3.0 miles |
| Rothbury First School | — | 3.8% | 20.8% | 94 | 6.2 miles |
| Thropton Village First School | — | 4.6% | 3% | 36 | 6.3 miles |
| Ncea Harry Hotspur Church of England Primary School | — | 7.4% | 36.7% | 104 | 7.2 miles |
| Swansfield Park Primary School | — | — | — | 383 | 7.6 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 6.41%
- English as an additional language
- 2.2%
- Overall absence
- 3.92%
- Persistent absence
- 4.05%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Branton Primary School and Nursery3.0 miles
Primary · Alnwick
-
Rothbury First School6.2 miles
Primary · Morpeth
-
Thropton Village First School6.3 miles
Primary · Morpeth
-
Ncea Harry Hotspur Church of England Primary School7.2 miles
Primary · Alnwick
-
Swansfield Park Primary School7.6 miles
Primary · Alnwick
Other schools in Alnwick
- Branton Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Embleton Vincent Edwards Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hipsburn Primary School Primary
- Longhoughton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ncea Harry Hotspur Church of England Primary School Primary
- Shilbottle Primary School Primary
- St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Alnwick Primary
- Swansfield Park Primary School Primary
- The Duchess's Community High School Secondary
- Barndale School Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does Whittingham Church of England Primary School teach?
- Whittingham Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Alnwick.
- Who is the headteacher of Whittingham Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Whittingham Church of England Primary School is Mrs Belinda Athey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Whittingham Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Whittingham Church of England Primary 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 many pupils are at Whittingham Church of England Primary School?
- Whittingham Church of England Primary School has 81 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Whittingham Church of England Primary School full?
- Whittingham Church of England Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 81 on roll (77%), 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 Whittingham Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Whittingham Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Newcastle.
- Does Whittingham Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Whittingham Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Whittingham Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 64% in 2022/23 and 50% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Whittingham Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Northumberland?
- Whittingham Church of England Primary School ranked 52nd of 72 primary schools in Northumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Whittingham Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Whittingham Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Whittingham Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Whittingham Church of England Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
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.