Great Park Academy

Great Park Academy is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in most areas, with notable strengths in behaviour and personal development, both rated as 'Outstanding.' Despite challenges due to operating from temporary accommodation, the school has fostered a nurturing environment where pupils thrive academically and personally. The leadership has effectively created a clear school identity and is proactive in identifying and addressing pupils' needs, which has resulted in very high attendance and strong support for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This is the first inspection since the school opened in September 2021, and leaders are strategically planning for the school's growth and transition to a permanent site in 2025.

Strengths

• High levels of respect among pupils and staff.
• Excellent behaviour and attitudes in school.
• A calm and purposeful learning environment.
• Strong leadership that has successfully navigated operational challenges.
• Outstanding personal development programmes that enhance pupils' understanding of moral and social issues.
• High academic achievement in mathematics and English, including for pupils with SEND.
• Effective communication and participation through the active pupil council.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack a substantive leader, leading to gaps in curriculum development.

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 Great Park Academy attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 7.6% 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, 2.1% of pupils at Great Park Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Great Park Academy had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.6% 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, 11.4% of pupils at Great Park Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% 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 Great Park Academy received £7,056 and spent £7,434 for each of its 327 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £193,000 (£591 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of The Gosforth Federated Academies Limited, income was £8,092 and spending £8,218 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

Great Park Academy is part of The Gosforth Federated Academies Limited, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• North Gosforth Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Gosforth Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Gosforth Junior High Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Callerton Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Jesmond Park Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

What is Great Park Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Park Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was Great Park Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Park Academy was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does Great Park Academy have?

Great Park Academy has 614 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Park Academy cover?

Great Park Academy for pupils aged 9 to 16.

What are Great Park Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Great Park Academy?

Great Park Academy is at Primrose Lane, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE13 9FR.