Home | Benton Dene Primary School

School Term Dates

School Admissions

News letters

School Calendar

Contact School

Welcome to Our School

Dear Parents, Carers and Visitors,

A very warm welcome to Benton Dene Primary School. Formerly known as Goathland Primary School, we moved into our current site in June 2010. We share our site with Benton Dene Special School (formerly known as Glebe School). Whilst we are separate schools, both schools are co-located in an innovative, inclusive primary campus which boasts a range of specialist areas and facilities including a very popular and successful Out of School Club (BDOOSC).

Benton Dene Primary School is a very special learning community for pupils aged 3 - 11 years. As one of the largest primary schools in North Tyneside, we can offer a range of curricular and extra-curricular activities. We value all pupils equally, whatever their background or ability. Our amazing staff are committed to offering an excellent education, opportunities and high standards of learning and pastoral care for every one of our children. Every child is encouraged to be successful and we recognise that every child is special and has their own contribution to make.

We have an extremely positive partnership with our parents and community and we have a very supportive and active Parent and Friends Association (FOBS), School Council and Governing Body. We are very proud of our reputation as a warm, welcoming family school.

The staff and governors are continually seeking the views of parents, carers and visitors to our school. We recognise that parents play an important role in the education of their children and as such we welcome your support and cooperation in making your child's time at Benton Dene Primary memorable and enjoyable. We encourage parents and carers to discuss any concerns or issues with us.

We hope our website gives you a flavour of our wonderful, vibrant school and particularly a sense of the achievements and opportunities for our pupils. Our childrne make the school an exciting and stimulating place to learn and work. If you would like to find out more about our school, please don't hesitiate to call us, e-mail or arrange a visit.

Ashleigh Lawrence

Headteacher

Current Vacancies; Cleaner and Lunch Supervisor roles are available; please see the 'Vacancies' section on the 'Our School' page

School Council/Eco-Champions and Subject Champions

Thank you to everyone who applied to be a member of the School Council or to support our subject leaders and champion individual curriculum subjects; there was such a high standard of applications.

Congratulations to our new School Council who were anonymously chosen by their peers; we know you will do an amazing job making sure every voice is valued and supporting our school.

Well done to our new Subject Champions; your support in delivering our curriculum subjects is invaluable.

Details of School Council and Subject Champions are available on the 'Our School' section of the website.

National Governance Awards Success!

On Wednesday 17th September, a group of our governors attended the prestigious National Governance Awards at the Houses of Parliament. We are delighted to share that Benton Dene Primary School was named the winner of the National Governance Award for Outstanding Governance in a State-Funded School in England. The NGS panel praised the strategic role of our governing body in both supporting and challenging school leaders, recognising the significant and lasting impact this has made on the school, our pupils, and the wider community. The panel confirmed, “this board demonstrated excellence across all aspects of governance, ensuring high standards, improving outcomes and embedding a strong, inclusive culture throughout the school community.”

We are incredibly proud of this recognition and would like to thank our governors for their tireless work, dedication and commitment to our school’s ethos of securing successful outcomes for all pupils.

Welcome Back from the Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

A very warm welcome back to a new school year at Benton Dene Primary School. I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable summer break and that your children are refreshed and ready for the exciting year ahead.

We are especially delighted to welcome our new pupils and their families, who are joining the Benton Dene community for the very first time. Starting a new school is a big step and we are committed to helping all children settle into their new routines.

This year promises to be filled with wonderful learning opportunities, creative projects and chances for every child to shine. Our dedicated staff are looking forward to working in close partnership with you to support your child’s progress, wellbeing and enjoyment of school.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Together, we can make 2025–26 a fantastic year for all our children.

Warm regards,
Miss Lawrence
Headteacher

Bastille Day Celebration

Our Benton Dene Primary School Song

A number of our children have been involved in a project to write and record a song about Benton Dene Primary School.

This project began when members of an earlier School Council wrote a poem linked to our school values of "Valued, Challenged, Supported & Successful". They then asked whether it would be possible to create a school song based on their poem.

Initially, a group of school councillors met with a songwriter who listened to their ideas, developed their poem, created a melody and put their words to music.

The melody was further enhanced by our music staff and the KS2 choir who were visited by professionals from a recording studio to record their singing.

Please find attached the final result! It is a great example of a child-led project and demonstrates how our children's ideas can become a reality. No matter how big or small any contribution was, it is part of something we will cherish as a school. This song now forms part of our school assemblies and we would like to thank our children for the legacy they have created.

Bonjour!

A group of Year 5 and 6 children enjoyed an amazing residential visit to France with a jam-packed itinerary. The attached pictures show some of their adventures! We were so proud of all the children who represented our school impeccably, their behaviour, manners and their positivity were outstanding.

Benton Dene Eco Art Exhibition and Flower Show

We would like to say a huge thank you to all the children and families who contributed to our art and flower show event, held jointly with Benton Dene School. The event was a huge success with wonderful exhibitions from both schools. It was enjoyed by all of our children and we will be planning another joint exhibition for next year. Thanks again to everyone involved in creating such a special event.

Miss Lindsay

Here are some of the amazing entries created by the children ...

Benton Dene Primary School

GET IN TOUCH!