NCEA Duke's Secondary School

Duke’s Secondary School is an inclusive and caring school where leaders have created a positive culture and strong support for pupils, including a growing number of disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Safeguarding is met, and the school is judged to be meeting expected standards in inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision. Pupils feel safe, behaviour is calm and improving, and careers and personal development are strengths. The trust has supported leadership capacity, and leaders have taken appropriate steps to improve attendance and provision, though these areas remain works in progress. However, pupils’ achievement is not yet good enough. Published outcomes at the end of key stage 4 are below national averages, disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes are notably lower, and teaching is variable—especially in checking understanding and adapting work to close gaps. Attendance has been too low for too long, although recent improvements are evident. The sixth form is closing in August 2026, but current post-16 provision is broad and students are well prepared for next steps. Overall, leaders know the priorities: strengthen assessment-informed teaching and continue improving attendance.

Strengths

• Inclusive and welcoming culture that supports vulnerable pupils
• Clear, values-driven leadership and effective governance
• Strong support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Well-designed personal development and PSHE programme
• Effective careers education with positive destinations
• Calm, positive behaviour and improving consistency
• Broad post-16 offer despite planned closure
• Well-considered staff development programme

Areas for Improvement

• KS4 attainment and progress are below national averages
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are lower than national, with wide gaps
• Teaching is variable, with inconsistent checks on pupil understanding
• Pupils develop gaps and misconceptions because teaching does not always adapt
• Attendance has been too low for too long, despite recent improvements
• Persistent absence remains well above national average

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 NCEA Duke's Secondary School attended 86.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 39.3% 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, 22.9% of pupils at NCEA Duke's Secondary School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 11 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 NCEA Duke's Secondary School had 14.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.9% 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, 22.2% of pupils at NCEA Duke's Secondary School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.2% 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 2024–25 NCEA Duke's Secondary School received £8,785 and spent £8,834 for each of its 1,048 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £216,000 (£207 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, income was £9,125 and spending £8,946 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 Ashington · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

NCEA Duke's Secondary School is part of Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• NCEA Bishop's Primary School Ashington
• NCEA Castle School Ashington
• NCEA Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School Ashington
• NCEA James Knott CofE Primary School Ashington
• NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School Newbiggin-By-The-Sea
• NCEA William Leech CofE Primary School Morpeth
• NCEA Warkworth Church of England Primary School Morpeth
• Ncea Harry Hotspur Church of England Primary School Alnwick

What is NCEA Duke's Secondary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for NCEA Duke's Secondary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was NCEA Duke's Secondary School last inspected by Ofsted?

NCEA Duke's Secondary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does NCEA Duke's Secondary School have?

NCEA Duke's Secondary School has 980 pupils on roll.

What age range does NCEA Duke's Secondary School cover?

NCEA Duke's Secondary School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are NCEA Duke's Secondary School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 36.3, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is NCEA Duke's Secondary School?

NCEA Duke's Secondary School is at Academy Road, Ashington, Northumberland, NE63 9FZ.