The Duchess's Community High School
Taylor Drive, Alnwick, NE66 2DH
1,276 pupils · 77% of 1,651 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- PELE TRUST
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 18.4%
Ofsted
Requires improvement (2021) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 19 October 2021, published 2 December 2021. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 43.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 37.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 62.5% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 15% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.01 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 188 | 189 | 198 | 188 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 167 | 170 | 171 | 167 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 218 | 209 | 218 | 218 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- James Calvert Spence College 10.3 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- The King Edward VI School 24.9 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Ashington Academy 25.7 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- NCEA Duke's Secondary School 26.5 km · Requires improvement (2023) · previous system
- St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy 30.1 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Bedlington Academy 30.2 km · Good (2022) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.