The Duchess's Community High School

The Duchess's Community High School is a prominent co-educational institution situated in the historical town of Alnwick within the English county of Northumberland. Established in 1809 by the Duchess Julia Percy, this community school welcomes pupils between the ages of 11 and 18, catering to approximately 1441 students as of November 2019, with a capacity for 1651. The school's roots extend back to the early 19th century as a small, private institution, later expanding into county-funded grammar status and achieving comprehensive and co-educational status in 1979 due to secondary reorganization.

The Duchess's Community High School boasts a range of GCSE and BTEC qualifications and offers A-levels and further BTECs in the sixth form. The curriculum encompasses English, Mathematics, Science, IT, Technology, History, Geography, Art, Textiles, Drama, Music, PE, French, and Spanish, alongside RE and Life Studies in Key Stage 3. Students studying Key Stage 4 and 5 continue to have opportunities in sports, performing arts, creative writing, debating, and extra-curricular activities such as VEX Robotics, LEGO Robotics, Science Club, and various club championships in CEILDH band, dance, and drama.

Notable alumni from the school include footballers Lucy Bronze and Lucy Staniforth, British Heroes of the Holocaust Ida Cook and Mary Louise Cook, and middle-distance runner Laura Weightman. The school campus, located on Taylor Drive postcode NE66 2DH, has recently seen improvements, such as the development of its multi-million-pound site.