Northgate High School

Northgate High School has been rated as good overall, reflecting a positive environment where pupils are polite and courteous and engage well in their education. The school has shown ambition in ensuring all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. There is a strong focus on personal development, particularly in the sixth form, where students benefit from comprehensive support and enrichment opportunities. However, some concerns regarding inconsistent behavior in classrooms and the effective use of assessment information have been noted, which could impact learning continuity.

Strengths

• High expectations set by teachers.
• Effective provision for pupils with SEND.
• Wide range of extra-curricular activities and pupil leadership opportunities.
• Strong pastoral support leading to a safe environment for pupils.
• Positive sixth-form experience with strong career guidance.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent behavior in some lessons.
• Assessment information not always used effectively across all subjects.

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 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.3% 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, 9.0% of pupils at Northgate High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Northgate High School had 16.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.7% 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, 19.4% of pupils at Northgate High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.3% 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 Northgate High School received £7,366 and spent £8,133 for each of its 1,187 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £189,000 (£159 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Unity Education Trust, income was £9,934 and spending £10,116 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 Dereham · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

Northgate High School is part of Unity Education Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• King's Park Infant School, Dereham Dereham
• Grove House Infant and Nursery School Dereham
• Garvestone Community Primary School Norwich
• Beeston Primary School King'S Lynn
• Churchill Park Complex Needs School King'S Lynn
• King's Oak Academy King'S Lynn
• Highgate Infant School King'S Lynn
• Greyfriars Academy Kings Lynn
• Wimbotsham and Stow Academy King'S Lynn
• St Germans Academy King'S Lynn

What is Northgate High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northgate High School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Northgate High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northgate High School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Northgate High School have?

Northgate High School has 1,203 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 40.6, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Northgate High School?

Northgate High School is at Cemetery Road, Dereham, Norfolk, NR19 2EU.