North East Futures UTC

North East Futures UTC is a 14–19 university technical college within Tyne Coast Academy Trust, and this inspection followed a previous requires-improvement judgement. Inspectors found the school performing well overall, with all key judgements good. Pupils are positive about the calm, purposeful environment, feel seen and valued, and benefit from digital and health pathways, strong careers support, and employer partnerships including the NHS. Sixth-form students are also positive, produce high-quality work, take on leadership and mentoring roles, and are well prepared for apprenticeships and university. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, SEND support is effective, reading is supported quickly, and personal development and enrichment are strong. Leaders, governors and trustees have a clear improvement strategy and a precise understanding of strengths and priorities, and staff report that workload and wellbeing are considered. Safeguarding is effective. However, inspectors identified areas to improve. In some lessons pupils do not get enough opportunity to practise and deepen recent learning, and task purpose is sometimes unclear, so pupils are not always secure in the knowledge and skills they should develop. Attendance remains a concern: persistent absence is still high for some pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, and this affects their achievement. The school is refining attendance work but needs to intensify it.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum that builds progressively and revisits prior learning
• Effective SEND identification and support, enabling pupils with SEND to access the ambitious curriculum
• Swift reading assessment and support, with book club helping pupils develop a love of reading
• Calm and purposeful environment with high expectations for professional behaviours
• High-quality careers support and strong employer links, including with the NHS
• Positive sixth-form provision with high-quality work, leadership roles and mentoring opportunities
• Strong personal development, including PSHE, respect for differences and timetabled enrichment
• Clear feedback on pupils’ learning that helps identify areas for improvement and additional support
• Effective leadership, governance and trust support, with a clear improvement strategy and rising standards
• Staff feel their workload and wellbeing matter to leaders

Areas for Improvement

• In some lessons, pupils lack sufficient opportunity to practise, embed and deepen recent learning
• Sometimes the purpose of tasks is unclear, so pupils do not understand what knowledge and skills to use
• Persistent absence remains high for some pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, affecting their achievement
• Attendance strategies are not reaching some pupils as well as they could

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 North East Futures UTC attended 84.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 46.3% 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, 16.4% of pupils at North East Futures UTC were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 North East Futures UTC had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.6% 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, 1.6% of pupils at North East Futures UTC were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.2% 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 North East Futures UTC received £9,303 and spent £9,605 for each of its 305 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £243,000 (-£795 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Tyne Coast Academy Trust, income was £9,114 and spending £9,201 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

North East Futures UTC is part of Tyne Coast Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Walker Riverside Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Ridgeway Primary Academy South Shields
• Monkwearmouth Academy Sunderland
• Redby Academy Sunderland

What is North East Futures UTC's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for North East Futures UTC is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was North East Futures UTC last inspected by Ofsted?

North East Futures UTC was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does North East Futures UTC have?

North East Futures UTC has 314 pupils on roll.

What age range does North East Futures UTC cover?

North East Futures UTC for pupils aged 14 to 19.

Where is North East Futures UTC?

North East Futures UTC is at Stephenson Square, Stephenson Quarter, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 3AS.