The Duchess's Community High School

Northumberland · NE66 2DH

General information Secondary School · 11-18 years Who goes here 1276 pupils, 18.4% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Requires improvement

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 13.2% on SEN support Behaviour 9.9% absence rate Staff 12.3% turnover Financials £8,338 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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The Duchess's Community High School

General Information

Address: Taylor Drive, Alnwick, NE66 2DH – View on map
Phone: 01665602166
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr James Wilson
Age range: 11-18 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 189 families put it first for 188 places – 10 for every 10 places. 99% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1276 pupils out of 1651 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 186
% eligible for free school meals: 18.4%
Pupil mix: 1 in 10 (similar to the Northumberland average)
English as an additional language: 2% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 12.3% a year (Northumberland 12.7%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 27% moved to another school, 73% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (one year, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

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.

Across Northumberland: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 39 (1.8 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 30 (1.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 22 (1.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Northumberland, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

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.

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.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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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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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

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.

Attainment 8 score: 43.2
Compared with the area: 2.7 points below the Northumberland average (45.9)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (−2.4 points against an expected 45.6)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 63% (Northumberland 66%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolNorthumberland averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 2.7 points below the Northumberland average (45.9).

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.

11th of 16 secondary schools in Northumberland for Attainment 8

#9Prudhoe Community High School46.6
#10Seaton Valley High School43.2
#11The Duchess's Community High School43.2
#12St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy41.3
#13Berwick Academy40.3

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Ponteland High School53.0
#2The King Edward VI School52.2
#3Queen Elizabeth High School50.7
#4The Blyth Academy49.2
#5Bede Academy48.9
#6Bedlington Academy47.4
#7Ashington Academy47.1
#8Cramlington Learning Village46.7
#9Prudhoe Community High School46.6
#10Seaton Valley High School43.2
#11The Duchess's Community High School43.2
#12St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy41.3
#13Berwick Academy40.3
#14Haydon Bridge High School35.1
#15Coquet Community School34.9
#16NCEA 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

20th of 20 secondary schools in Northumberland for Ofsted rating

#18Berwick AcademyRequires improvement
#19NCEA Duke's Secondary SchoolRequires improvement
#20The 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.

Rank School Score

#1Ashington AcademyGood
#2Bede AcademyGood
#3Bedlington AcademyGood
#4Bellingham Middle School and Sports CollegeGood
#5Coquet Community SchoolGood
#6Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle SchoolGood
#7Hexham Middle SchoolGood
#8Highfield Middle SchoolGood
#9Ovingham Middle SchoolGood
#10Ponteland High SchoolGood
#11Prudhoe Community High SchoolGood
#12Queen Elizabeth High SchoolGood
#13Seaton Sluice Middle SchoolGood
#14Seaton Valley High SchoolGood
#15St Benet Biscop Catholic AcademyGood
#16St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, HexhamGood
#17The Blyth AcademyGood
#18Berwick AcademyRequires improvement
#19NCEA Duke's Secondary SchoolRequires improvement
#20The Duchess's Community High SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

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.

7th of 27 secondary schools in Northumberland for spending per pupil

#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.

Rank School Score

#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
#24Bede Academy£6,787
#25Ovingham Middle School£6,663
#26Morpeth Chantry Middle School£6,410
#27Morpeth Newminster Middle School£6,315

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

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Northumberland: suspensions by reason

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