Walbottle Academy

Walbottle Academy has shown significant improvement since it became part of the Northern Education Trust in 2020. This is the school's first inspection since the change, and it has notably transformed into an inclusive and positive community where pupils feel safe and respected. The leadership has high expectations, and pupils are responding well to the ambitious curriculum, which supports their aspirations. Although there have been positive changes in behaviour and attendance, there are still challenges with high suspension rates and attendance concerns, particularly among some students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Significant improvements in the overall school environment and culture.
• Pupils feel safe and respected, with effective handling of bullying.
• Ambitious and carefully structured curriculum that links subjects effectively.
• Strong support for students with SEND, allowing them access to the mainstream curriculum.
• Positive behaviour management resulting in improved participation during lessons.
• Robust attendance initiatives leading to increased pupil attendance.

Areas for Improvement

• High rates of suspensions, which continue to affect some pupils' learning.
• Persistent attendance issues, particularly for students with SEND.
• Difficulty for some parents in contacting the school regarding concerns.

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 Walbottle Academy attended 87.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 31.9% 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, 19.0% of pupils at Walbottle Academy 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 Walbottle Academy had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% 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, 17.8% of pupils at Walbottle Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 12 pupils.

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 Walbottle Academy received £8,471 and spent £8,060 for each of its 1,729 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,779,000 (£1,029 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of Northern Education Trust, income was £8,462 and spending £8,166 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

Walbottle Academy is part of Northern Education Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Thorp Academy Ryton
• Hilton Primary Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• The Blyth Academy Blyth
• Red House Academy Sunderland
• Farringdon Community Academy Sunderland
• Hetton Academy Houghton Le Spring
• Dyke House Sports and Technology College Hartlepool
• Manor Community Academy Hartlepool
• Frederick Nattrass Primary Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• Norton Primary Academy Stockton-On-Tees

What is Walbottle Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Walbottle Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Walbottle Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Walbottle Academy was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Walbottle Academy have?

Walbottle Academy has 1,722 pupils on roll.

What age range does Walbottle Academy cover?

Walbottle Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Walbottle Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.3, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Walbottle Academy?

Walbottle Academy is at Hexham Road, Walbottle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE15 9TP.