Northgate High School

Northgate High School is a large 11-18 comprehensive in Ipswich that inspectors found to be performing strongly overall. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pupils are happy, highly respectful and feel cared for, and the school combines high expectations with a broad, ambitious curriculum. Behaviour is exemplary, attendance is strong, and pupils achieve well; sixth-form students do particularly well because of teachers’ strong subject knowledge and effective support for university progression. The school’s personal development and extra-curricular offer are notable strengths. Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips, clubs and careers guidance, and the school is highly inclusive, with pupils feeling able to be themselves. Reading support is well developed, weaker readers are identified quickly, and staff, governors and parents speak very positively about the school and its leadership. The main area for improvement is support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Although the school identifies needs accurately and provides training and guidance, some teachers do not consistently adapt learning as intended, so some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could. Safeguarding is effective.

Strengths

• Broad, ambitious curriculum that builds knowledge over time
• Strong teacher subject knowledge, including in the sixth form
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and a calm, orderly environment
• Highly inclusive culture where pupils feel able to be themselves
• Extensive extra-curricular trips, clubs and opportunities
• Highly effective careers education and sixth-form progression support
• Effective reading strategies that support weaker readers
• Strong attendance and clear systems to support less regular attenders
• Leaders take exceptional care of staff well-being
• Governors know the school well and are closely involved

Areas for Improvement

• Learning is not consistently adapted to meet the needs of some pupils with SEND, so they do not learn as well as they could

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 Northgate High School attended 91.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.9% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Northgate High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Northgate High School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.8% 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, 12.8% of pupils at Northgate High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.1% 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 Northgate High School received £7,232 and spent £7,304 for each of its 1,751 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £310,000 (£177 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 Ipswich · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

What is Northgate High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northgate High School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Northgate High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northgate High School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Northgate High School have?

Northgate High School has 1,750 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northgate High School cover?

Northgate High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Northgate High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.5, and 51% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Northgate High School?

Northgate High School is at Sidegate Lane West, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 3DL.