Excelsior Academy

Excelsior Academy is rated as requiring improvement overall, with the quality of education highlighted as an area needing attention. Although the school demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusivity and supports a diverse pupil intake, some students, particularly in the secondary phase, are facing significant gaps in their knowledge attributable to high levels of absence and the ongoing impact of the pandemic. Nonetheless, the school has begun to make progress in improving provisions across all phases and is developing a more ambitious curriculum that aims to cater to the needs of all pupils.

Strengths

• Strong behavior policies contribute to a calm and orderly school environment.
• Pupils are friendly, respectful, and support each other's learning.
• Good early years provision promotes children's language and communication skills.
• The school has a comprehensive personal development programme addressing crucial issues.
• Effective strategies are in place for improving attendance, with noticeable progress.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum in some secondary subjects lacks depth, hindering pupil knowledge acquisition.
• Inconsistent teaching quality, particularly at key stage 3 and 4, affects pupil performance.
• High levels of persistent absence continue to affect overall pupil achievement.

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 Excelsior Academy attended 89.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.5% 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, 18.8% of pupils at Excelsior Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 9 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 Excelsior Academy had 13.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.7% 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, 25.8% of pupils at Excelsior Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% 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 2024–25 Excelsior Academy received £10,447 and spent £10,769 for each of its 1,439 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,896,000 (£2,012 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of The Laidlaw Schools Trust, income was £9,582 and spending £9,338 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne · Newcastle upon Tyne local authority: places and applications

Excelsior Academy is part of The Laidlaw Schools Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Atkinson Road Primary Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Thomas Walling Primary Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Westgate Hill Primary Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Oxclose Primary Academy Washington
• Oxclose Community Academy Washington
• South Hylton Primary Academy Sunderland
• Academy 360 Sunderland
• Sedgefield Hardwick Primary Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• Sedgefield Community College Stockton-On-Tees

What is Excelsior Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Excelsior Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Excelsior Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Excelsior Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Excelsior Academy have?

Excelsior Academy has 1,339 pupils on roll.

What age range does Excelsior Academy cover?

Excelsior Academy for pupils aged 3 to 19.

What are Excelsior Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 34.4, and 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Excelsior Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Excelsior Academy?

Excelsior Academy is at Denton Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE15 6AF.