Welcome to Whitfield CE Primary School

We are a Church of England Primary School in a delightful rural setting.

Since September 2017 we have been part of the The Good Shepherd Multi Academy Trust. We are delighted to be developing learning at Whitfield with the support of our partner schools and the trust. Our school is part of the trust's North Cluster of schools and we work closely with our colleagues in these other schools. This means we have access to shared expertise and resources. 

We are located in a village in the North Pennines - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We use nature to power our school and are virtually carbon neutral, with electricity provided by a wind turbine and solar panels. Our water is filtered by Whitfield Estate from a local spring and our heating is via an air source heat pump.

Learning outdoors is a strength of our curriculum offer and in 2023 we opened our Woodland Classroom. Situated in the woodland adjacent to school, we hold lessons across the curriculum in the hexadecagon structure. It was hand built by local craftsman, Jonah Maurice. The wood was all locally sourced and our pupils have houses named after the trees that were used; Larch, Yew and Cedar. Our vision for this classroom was to offer more than a Forest School experience. Inspired by the Japanese concept of 'Shinrin-yoku' we believe that there is value in being grounded in nature and working amongst trees. We want this to be more than a once a week experience for our students. 

Our small. mixed age classes mean children can develop and make progress in a warm and friendly school, which the children say is like a family. Nursery children are guided and supported by children in Reception and KS1 so that they settle in quickly. This also gives these older children to develop skills of empathy, compassion and nurturing from a young age. In our KS2 class children of all abilities support each other to make academic and personal progress. 

We are fortunate to be part of a strong community and are committed to serving the surrounding area by providing the best possible education for our children in partnership with one another.

Are school is full inclusive and welcomes those of all faiths and non, as advised in the Church of England's Vision for Education. Our ethos is underpinned by our Christian values of Creativity, Trust, Courage, Justice, Wisdom and Thankfulness but these are not exclusive. Everyone that visits us tells us what a special school we have and we agree.

If you'd like to see for yourself please do contact the school office to arrange a visit.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Katherine Ayre 
Head of School