Where is CBBC’s The Dumping Ground filmed in the North East?

A sequel to Tracy Beaker Returns, and the third instalment in the much-loved Tracy Beaker franchise, The Dumping Ground first aired in 2013 and remains one of CBBC’s most successful and longest-running shows.

The series focuses on the lives of children living in care, tackling themes such as friendship, family, mental health, identity, racism and LGBT parenting.

The Dumping Ground (Image: CBBC)

For over 12 years, the production has maintained a strong presence in the region.

Its current base is the former Hexham Middle School Fellside Building in Northumberland, which has doubled as the fictional Porter’s Lodge home since series 11.

Recent episodes, including series 13, have also featured recognisable landmarks such as Hexham Abbey, the town’s local bowling alley and Tyne Green park.

Before the move to Hexham, the show filmed extensively in Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, between series two and ten. Hookergate School in High Spen was used for interior scenes, while a nearby children’s respite care home, Kites Rise, served as the exterior of the fictional Ashdene Ridge.

Residential streets in Rowlands Gill and Consett also appeared regularly, standing in for the show’s fictional setting of Pottiswood.

The earliest series of The Dumping Ground, as well as Tracy Beaker Returns, were filmed at the former La Sagesse convent school in Jesmond, Newcastle.

However, plans by developers to convert the site into housing forced production to relocate, prompting the show’s gradual move further into Northumberland.

Other North East locations have included Consett and Morpeth, with interior scenes for later series filmed at the former Loansdean Fire Station before production returned briefly to Hookergate School.

Filming for the show in Consett (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

A dramatic storyline at the end of series 10, which saw Ashdene Ridge destroyed by fire, neatly coincided with the real-world move to Hexham and the introduction of a new care home setting.

In 2024, the eleventh series marked a major creative refresh for the programme, introducing a new house, updated title sequence and logo, and removing the animated segments seen in earlier series.

A fourteenth series began airing on CBBC in January 2026.

The production has worked closely with North East Screen, helping to support regional talent through paid traineeships and shadow director roles.

Former lead actor Dani Harmer, who played Tracy Beaker, has returned to the franchise in recent years both on and off screen.