Norton Hill Academy

Norton Hill Academy is a large 11-18 secondary comprehensive and part of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership. Inspectors found a school where pupils and sixth-form students thrive, behaviour is excellent, and personal development and sixth-form provision are outstanding. The quality of education and leadership and management are good, safeguarding is effective, and pupils achieve well, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

Strengths

• A respectful, inclusive culture where pupils speak up against injustice
• High expectations and positive pupil attitudes to learning
• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes across the school
• Exceptional enrichment programme that develops pupils' interests and talents
• Strong support for pupils with SEND, including skilful use of strategies in lessons
• Effective reading support and a strong reading culture
• High attendance supported by diligent tracking and a well-established welfare hub
• Exceptional personal development and preparation for life in modern Britain
• An inspiring careers programme that raises aspirations
• Outstanding sixth-form provision with highly evaluative students and strong academic guidance
• Effective staff training, trust support and governance
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, curriculum work is still underway and outcomes are not as high as in other areas
• Some subjects need further development to match the high standards and success seen across the rest of the curriculum

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 Norton Hill Academy attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.6% 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, 5.2% of pupils at Norton Hill Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Norton Hill Academy had 18.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.7% 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, 17.5% of pupils at Norton Hill Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.6% 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 Norton Hill Academy received £7,120 and spent £7,375 for each of its 1,818 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,309,000 (£720 per pupil).

Across all 41 schools of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, income was £8,730 and spending £8,608 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 Radstock · Bath and North East Somerset local authority: places and applications

Norton Hill Academy is part of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, which runs 43 schools. The nearest others:

• Somervale Secondary School Radstock
• St John's CofE Primary School Radstock
• Norton Hill Primary School Midsomer Norton
• Midsomer Norton Primary School Radstock
• Westfield Primary School Radstock
• Longvernal Primary School Radstock
• Welton Primary School Radstock
• Trinity Church School Bath
• Somerset Studio School Radstock
• Writhlington School Radstock

What is Norton Hill Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Norton Hill Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Norton Hill Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Norton Hill Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Norton Hill Academy have?

Norton Hill Academy has 1,757 pupils on roll.

What age range does Norton Hill Academy cover?

Norton Hill Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Norton Hill Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.0, and 55% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Norton Hill Academy?

Norton Hill Academy is at Charlton Road, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Somerset, BA3 4AD.