Norham High School

Norham High School is on a significant upward trajectory following a previous inadequate inspection. Under new leadership, the school has transformed, and both pupils and staff report a strong sense of community and support. Pupils express enthusiasm for their school, demonstrated by their positive behavior and engagement in various activities. However, there are lingering gaps in knowledge and skills due to the impact of the pandemic, which the school is actively addressing with an improving curriculum. Overall, the school's performance is now rated as good across all domains, indicating effective teaching and a supportive environment for students.

Strengths

• Strong leadership from the headteacher fostering a positive team spirit.
• High levels of pupil engagement and positive behavior.
• Improved curriculum design leading to better pupil progress.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND through additional resourced provision.
• Strong careers education and guidance for pupils.
• Supportive culture for early career teachers enhancing job satisfaction.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum planning and sequencing not yet fully effective in all subjects.
• Some lessons deemed too ambitious for pupils' current understanding.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Norham High School attended 92.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 9.9% of pupils at Norham High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Norham High School had 14.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 21.3% of pupils at Norham High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 17.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 21 pupils and resourced provision with 37 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Norham High School received £11,674 and spent £11,305 for each of its 498 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £3,775,000 (-£7,581 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in North Shields · North Tyneside local authority: places and applications

Norham High School is part of The North Tyneside Learning Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• King Edward Primary School North Tyneside
• Southlands School North Shields
• Monkseaton High School Whitley Bay
• Monkhouse Primary School North Shields
• Marden High School North Shields
• Burnside College Wallsend
• Woodlawn School Whitley Bay
• Appletree Gardens First School Whitley Bay
• Richardson Dees Primary School Wallsend
• Monkseaton Coastal School Whitley Bay

What is Norham High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Norham High School is Good, from an inspection in May 2022.

When was Norham High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Norham High School was last inspected in May 2022.

How many pupils does Norham High School have?

Norham High School has 498 pupils on roll.

What age range does Norham High School cover?

Norham High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Norham High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.3, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Norham High School?

Norham High School is at Alnwick Avenue, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE29 7BU.