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James Calvert Spence College

Morpeth, NE65 0NG · Northumberland · secondary school

Ofsted: Good · 2022 Inspected 3 years ago Mixed Secondary
2.7/10 Below average

12th of 16 secondary schools in Northumberland we can score, 30 in total — the rest without enough published data. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.

Its results hold up when the comparison narrows to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds — 1.4/10 against 674 of them, against 1.3/10 nationally. So this is not simply a reflection of who attends. Both figures are results only, without the inspection grade. A lower figure here means a stronger comparison group, not a weaker school.

How this is worked out
MeasurePercentileWeightAdds
Ofsted 52 35% 1.81
Grade 5+ English & maths 2024/25 23.5 · 7 30% 0.21
Progress 8 2023/24 -0.36 · 23 25% 0.58
Attainment 8 2024/25 34.9 · 6 10% 0.06

Each measure is read as a position among comparable schools, so a school in the middle of the country scores 5. Full method.

Get to know the school

How it's doing. The school was rated Good by Ofsted in 2022. In 2024/25, 23.5% of pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in English and maths. Attainment 8 was 34.9, compared to the national median of 44.6. Progress 8 was -0.36 in 2023/24, indicating pupils did worse than peers nationally who started from the same place. Its results are much the same when the comparison narrows to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds, so the gap is not explained by intake (1.4 out of 10 against similar schools, 1.3 out of 10 against all schools).

Getting in. There are 567 pupils in a school with 1049 places, leaving 482 spare places. The school has real spare room, so a place is likely and classes are smaller than it is built for.

Worth asking on a visit. How does the school support pupils to close the gap between their current attainment and the national median? What specific steps are being taken to improve Progress 8 scores? How does the large number of spare places affect the range of elective options available to students?

Written by AI from this school's published results, inspection record and its own website — not by Ofsted, the school, or SchoolsGPT staff. Every figure above comes from the sources on this page. Check anything that matters with the school.

Your offer chance

Based on official applications/offers, distance and catchment where we have it. Bands only — never a percentage.

Sibling, faith, looked-after and other criteria can override distance. Always confirm with the school or local authority.

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