Photo: Anthony Foster · CC BY-SA 2.0Prudhoe’s state schools trail 63% of towns in England on results
At Prudhoe’s secondaries, 39% of pupils reach grade 5 in both English and maths, below both Northumberland’s towns (42%) and towns in England (45%). Prudhoe grades C+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #13 of 19 in Northumberland. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
Prudhoe grades C+ for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
The primary figure: 2 primaries in the town, 331 pupils in results over three years. Prudhoe has no secondaries of its own with GCSE results, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (156 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Where Prudhoe’s 5 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Prudhoe’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
How school places work in Prudhoe
Northumberland Council handles applications for every state school in Prudhoe, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 1 of Prudhoe’s 5 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 1 school is at or over it.
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
5 state schools in Prudhoe
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 1 of Prudhoe’s 5 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
| School | Safeguarding | Achievement | Curriculum and teaching | Inclusion | Attendance and behaviour | Personal development and well-being | Leadership and governance | Early years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prudhoe West AcademyFebruary 2026 | Met | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard |
3 academy trusts
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheviot Learning TrustHighfield Middle, Prudhoe Castle First | 2 | 439 | C |
| Wise AcademiesPrudhoe West, Adderlane | 2 | 340 | — |
| Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education TrustSt Matthew's | 1 | 144 | A+ |
Where Prudhoe’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
The state secondary in Prudhoe teaches 11 to 16. The nearest college is Derwentside College, a further-education college 7.6 miles away.
| College | Distance |
|---|---|
| Derwentside CollegeFurther-education college · DH8 5EE | 7.6 mi |
| NCGFurther-education college · NE4 7SA | 8.9 mi |
| Gateshead CollegeFurther-education college · NE8 3BE | 10.1 mi |
251st of 410 English towns of 7,000 to 14,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Prudhoe, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chorleywood Hertfordshire | A+ | 79% | 59.8 | 71% |
| … | |||||
| 247 | Honiton Devon | C+ | 61% | 44.5 | 38% |
| 248 | Ashbourne Derbyshire | C+ | 58% | 45.8 | 43% |
| 249 | Nuthall and Watnall Nottinghamshire | C+ | 61% | 43.4 | 40% |
| 250 | Clowne Derbyshire | C+ | 65% | 37.7 | 34% |
| 251 | Prudhoe Northumberland | C+ | 60% | 46.1 | 39% |
| 252 | Penkridge Staffordshire | C+ | 57% | 45.9 | 46% |
| 253 | Coxheath Kent | C+ | 54% | 46.8 | 49% |
| 254 | Downham Market Norfolk | C+ | 64% | 42.5 | 33% |
| 255 | Princes Risborough Buckinghamshire | C+ | 59% | 43.8 | 44% |
| … | |||||
| 410 | Freshwater and Totland Isle of Wight | D− | 39% | — | — |
Prudhoe and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prudhoe 5 schools | C+ | 60% | 46.1 |
| Ovingham 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 0.9 mi | B− | 63% | 46.1 |
| Wylam 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 1.8 mi | A− | 68% | 48.3 |
| Stocksfield 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.2 mi | B | 63% | — |
| Crawcrook and Greenside 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.7 mi | A | 76% | 50.9 |
| Chopwell 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.2 mi | C+ | 60% | — |
| Heddon-on-the-Wall 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.4 mi | A | 76% | 47.9 |
| High Spen 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.5 mi | B− | 62% | — |
Crawcrook and Greenside has the best-graded schools nearby (A). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Prudhoe: 12% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Prudhoe
Are schools in Prudhoe good?
Prudhoe’s state schools earn a C+ against schools across England: primary results beat 41% of towns in England; secondary results beat 39% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Northumberland council.
Do Prudhoe secondary schools have sixth forms?
No. The state secondary teaches 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.
How do I apply for a school place in Prudhoe?
Through Northumberland Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Prudhoe are full?
1 of 5 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Prudhoe?
5 open state-funded schools are located in Prudhoe’s built-up area: 4 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.