Horton Grange Primary School

About Horton Grange Primary School

Parents considering Horton Grange Primary School will find a school that is clearly popular among local families. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 87 applications for 68 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.28. Of those, 64 families put it as their first preference, and all 64 were offered a place. That level of demand suggests a strong reputation in the community, and it's backed up by the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, which rated it Outstanding across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That's a clean sweep of top grades. The previous inspection in 2014 had rated the school Good, so the improvement to Outstanding is a clear sign of progress under headteacher Nichola Irving.

Academically, Horton Grange performs well above the local average. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 69% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Northumberland local authority average of 56%. That places the school 15th out of 58 primary schools in the county, putting it in the top 26% locally. In individual subjects, 83% met the expected standard in reading, 79% in maths, and 75% in writing. At the higher standard, 8% achieved the top marks across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 104 in maths, both comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. The school's ranking score of 69 places it just behind top local peers like Eastlea Primary School (82) and Belsay Primary School (81), but it remains one of only nine Outstanding-rated primary schools in Northumberland.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a forest school, art studios, a library, and a sports hall, with clubs covering art, choir, drama, chess and film. Sports on offer include tennis, swimming, cricket and cross country. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, visual impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. There is also nursery provision for children from age two. With 547 pupils against a capacity of 630, there is some headroom, but the oversubscription figures show it is a sought-after choice. The nearest Outstanding-rated alternative is Morpeth Road Academy, 1.3 km away, so Horton Grange is a strong option for families in the area who want a well-regarded, high-performing primary with good facilities and inclusive support.

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