New Hartley First School

About New Hartley First School

Parents considering New Hartley First School will be reassured by the strength of feeling among those who already know it. In the most recent Parent View survey, 96% of respondents said they would recommend the school to other parents. That figure comes from 51 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, and it is backed up by consistently high scores across individual questions: 96% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school, and 97% felt their child is safe. The school is also clearly in demand. For the 2025/26 academic year, New Hartley received 52 applications for 30 places, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.73 applicants per place. Of those, 36 were first-preference applications, and all 30 places went to first-preference families. That level of competition suggests a school that local parents trust and actively want their children to attend.

Academically, New Hartley First School holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2025. The inspection judged the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management all as Good, with early years provision also rated Good. This represents a consistent picture compared with the school’s previous graded inspection in 2010, which also rated overall effectiveness as Good. While the school does not publish Key Stage 2 results in the data available, the local authority average for KS2 attainment across Northumberland primary schools sits at 56. New Hartley’s own performance is not broken out here, but the Ofsted judgement gives a solid indication of a school delivering a reliable standard of education. The school serves 169 pupils aged 3 to 9, with 14.2% eligible for free school meals, slightly below the national average, and it operates as a state-funded mixed primary with no religious character.

For families looking at the practical side of school life, New Hartley offers a range of facilities including a library, playing fields, a gymnasium, art studios, and a forest school area. Sports provision covers football, cricket, gymnastics, tennis, and rounders, while extracurricular options include eco club, gardening, and science club. The school also has a nursery provision for younger children. On the SEND front, the school lists support for a broad range of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. In the Parent View survey, 83% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need, though 16% disagreed. The nearest outstanding-rated school in the local authority is Holywell Village First School, 2.3 km away, which may be worth a look for families who want to compare options. Overall, New Hartley suits families who value a well-regarded local first school with strong parent satisfaction and a clear sense of community demand.

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