Northfleet School for Girls

Northfleet School for Girls is a larger-than-average secondary school with a growing sixth form, working as part of a local cooperative trust. Inspectors found the school performing well overall, with safeguarding standards met and strong standards in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, and post-16 provision are judged at expected standard. The school's 'Dream Big' vision is embedded across its work, and pupils benefit from a calm, inclusive and aspirational culture. Key strengths include exceptionally positive pupil behaviour, high attendance, and effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Personal development is a major strength, with a rich offer of clubs, leadership roles, careers activities and community opportunities. Parents are highly satisfied, and staff value the school's supportive approach to wellbeing and professional development. However, most able pupils are not consistently stretched, teaching checks are not uniformly sharp, and some improvements need more time to embed. Sixth-form A-level outcomes are below national averages, and teaching consistency in the sixth form requires further development. The school serves a community with above-average free school meals eligibility and lower-than-average pupils with EHC plans. Leaders have an accurate understanding of strengths and areas for development, and they are taking appropriate action. Overall, the school is in a strong position, with clear next steps focused on increasing challenge for the most able and improving consistency in sixth-form provision.

Strengths

• Highly effective attendance strategy with significant improvements for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Extremely positive behaviour and a calm, purposeful environment
• Strong inclusive culture with careful identification of needs and effective adaptations
• Personal development and wellbeing is a significant priority and a key school strength
• Broad and well-designed personal, social, health and relationships education
• High take-up of clubs, leadership opportunities and extracurricular activities
• Strong careers programme with aspirational destinations, including increased university applications
• Typically pupils achieve well, especially disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Ambitious curriculum and staff with strong subject expertise
• Well-embedded structures and routines applied consistently across the school
• Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding and make pupil-focused decisions
• Strong staff wellbeing and meaningful professional development opportunities
• High levels of parent satisfaction with the school's holistic approach
• Post-16 provision offers a broad curriculum and strong pastoral and careers support
• Sixth-form students achieve well in applied and technical qualifications
• Safeguarding standards are met

Areas for Improvement

• Most able pupils are not consistently stretched and challenged in lessons
• Checks on pupils' understanding are not consistently sharp across all areas
• Some curriculum improvements need further time to embed fully
• Sixth-form teaching quality is not consistently high across all subjects
• A-level average point score and value added are below national averages
• Some subject areas where achievement has not been as effective require continued improvement

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 Northfleet School for Girls attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.4% 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, 7.9% of pupils at Northfleet School for Girls were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Northfleet School for Girls had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.3% 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, 16.4% of pupils at Northfleet School for Girls were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 Northfleet School for Girls received £8,197 and spent £8,372 for each of its 1,319 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £451,000 (£342 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 Gravesend · Kent local authority: places and applications

Northfleet School for Girls is part of Northfleet Schools Co-Operative Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Northfleet Technology College Gravesend
• Painters Ash Primary School Gravesend
• Shears Green Junior School Gravesend
• Cecil Road Primary and Nursery School Gravesend
• Lawn Primary School Gravesend

What is Northfleet School for Girls's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northfleet School for Girls is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Northfleet School for Girls last inspected by Ofsted?

Northfleet School for Girls was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Northfleet School for Girls have?

Northfleet School for Girls has 1,312 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northfleet School for Girls cover?

Northfleet School for Girls for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Northfleet School for Girls's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.8, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Northfleet School for Girls?

Northfleet School for Girls is at Hall Road, Northfleet, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 8AQ.