The Duchess's Community High School

General Information

Address: Taylor Drive, Alnwick, NE66 2DH
Phone: 01665602166
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr James Wilson
Age range: 11-18 years
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 1276
School capacity: 1651
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 186
% eligible for free school meals: 18.4%
Nursery provision: No

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 9.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 29.3%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 13.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 54 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 49 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 44 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Hearing impairment: 4 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 18 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 17 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 8 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 6 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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Would recommend –

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Educational Attainment

Requires improvement 2021 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

Attainment 8 score: 43.2
Data year: 2024/25

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

Ranked #10 of 15 Attainment 8 schools of this type in the area

#8Prudhoe Community High School46.6
#9Seaton Valley High School43.2
#10The Duchess's Community High School43.2
#11St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy41.3
#12Berwick Academy40.3

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

#1Ponteland High School53.0
#2The King Edward VI School52.2
#3Queen Elizabeth High School50.7
#4The Blyth Academy49.2
#5Bedlington Academy47.4
#6Ashington Academy47.1
#7Cramlington Learning Village46.7
#8Prudhoe Community High School46.6
#9Seaton Valley High School43.2
#10The Duchess's Community High School43.2
#11St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy41.3
#12Berwick Academy40.3
#13Haydon Bridge High School35.1
#14Coquet Community School34.9
#15NCEA Duke's Secondary School32.0

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 91.0%
Went into further education: 79.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

English Language
Maths (General)
English Literature
Science Double Award
Geography
Business Studies
History
Biology
Physics (General)
Chemistry (General)
Art & Design
Food Technology
Spanish
Photography
Classical Civilisation
Computer Science
French Language
Sports Studies
D & T
Music Studies (General)
Speech & Drama
Religious Studies
German
Russian

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Ranked #24 of 24 Ofsted Rating schools of this type in the area

#22Haydon Bridge High SchoolRequires improvement
#23NCEA Duke's Secondary SchoolRequires improvement
#24The Duchess's Community High SchoolRequires improvement

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

#1Corbridge Middle SchoolOutstanding
#2Ashington AcademyGood
#3Bedlington AcademyGood
#4Bellingham Middle School and Sports CollegeGood
#5Coquet Community SchoolGood
#6Cramlington Learning VillageGood
#7Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle SchoolGood
#8Hexham Middle SchoolGood
#9Highfield Middle SchoolGood
#10Morpeth Chantry Middle SchoolGood
#11Morpeth Newminster Middle SchoolGood
#12Ovingham Middle SchoolGood
#13Ponteland High SchoolGood
#14Prudhoe Community High SchoolGood
#15Queen Elizabeth High SchoolGood
#16Seaton Sluice Middle SchoolGood
#17St Benet Biscop Catholic AcademyGood
#18St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, HexhamGood
#19The Blyth AcademyGood
#20Whytrig Middle SchoolGood
#21Berwick AcademyRequires improvement
#22Haydon Bridge High SchoolRequires improvement
#23NCEA Duke's Secondary SchoolRequires improvement
#24The Duchess's Community High SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £8,338 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

Ranked #7 of 26 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#5Seaton Valley High School£8,671
#6Berwick Academy£8,428
#7The Duchess's Community High School£8,338
#8Haydon Bridge High School£8,319
#9St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham£8,022

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

#1Bellingham Middle School and Sports College£14,226
#2Prudhoe Community High School£9,516
#3Coquet Community School£9,013
#4The Blyth Academy£8,821
#5Seaton Valley High School£8,671
#6Berwick Academy£8,428
#7The Duchess's Community High School£8,338
#8Haydon Bridge High School£8,319
#9St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham£8,022
#10NCEA Duke's Secondary School£7,972
#11The King Edward VI School£7,965
#12St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy£7,935
#13Queen Elizabeth High School£7,782
#14Whytrig Middle School£7,570
#15Cramlington Learning Village£7,551
#16Highfield Middle School£7,458
#17Ashington Academy£7,435
#18Bedlington Academy£7,400
#19Ponteland High School£7,361
#20Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle School£7,275
#21Seaton Sluice Middle School£7,183
#22Corbridge Middle School£7,122
#23Hexham Middle School£6,883
#24Ovingham Middle School£6,663
#25Morpeth Chantry Middle School£6,410
#26Morpeth Newminster Middle School£6,315

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

General Information

Behaviour

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered