NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School
Central Parkway, Newbiggin-By-the-Sea, NE64 6RT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- NORTHUMBERLAND CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sharon Cole
- Diocese
- Diocese of Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Newcastle
- Constituency
- Blyth and Ashington
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 594
- Pupils on roll
- 372
- URN
- 148765
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01670812019
About this school
NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 372 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. 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
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 46 | 58 | 54 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 38% | 24% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 2% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 59% | 44% |
| Expected standard in maths | 83% | 43% | 37% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 72% | 40% | 31% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 100.0 | 98.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 99.0 | 98.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.20 | - | - |
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 NCEA Grace Darling CofE 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 | 67% | 54.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 38% | 52.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 24% | 56% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 449 |
| 2023/24 | 438 |
| 2024/25 | 412 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School compares
NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School ranked 71st of 72 primary schools in Northumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 17% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 24% | 7.9% | 48.5% | 372 | — |
| NCEA Bishop's Primary School | 36% | 5.4% | 40.5% | 448 | 1.0 miles |
| NCEA Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School | 41% | 4.8% | 57.4% | 253 | 1.1 miles |
| St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Ashington | 80% | 4.2% | 15.1% | 238 | 1.1 miles |
| Central Academy | — | — | — | — | 1.7 miles |
| NCEA James Knott CofE Primary School | 72% | 7% | 37.5% | 213 | 1.8 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)
- 48.49%
- English as an additional language
- 2.9%
- Overall absence
- 7.9%
- Persistent absence
- 21.64%
Location
Nearby schools
-
NCEA Bishop's Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Ashington
-
NCEA Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Ashington
-
St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Ashington1.1 miles
Primary · Ashington
-
Central Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Ashington
-
NCEA James Knott CofE Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Ashington
Common questions
- What year groups does NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School teach?
- NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
- Who is the headteacher of NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School is Mrs Sharon Cole, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected NCEA Grace Darling CofE 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 big is NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School?
- NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School has 372 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School full?
- NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School has capacity for 594 pupils and 372 on roll (63%), 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 NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Newcastle.
- Does NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School?
- NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School is part of NORTHUMBERLAND CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 24% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School rank locally?
- NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School ranked 71st of 72 primary schools in Northumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 17% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 7.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, NCEA Grace Darling CofE 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 10 July 2026.