Kenton School Review 2026: A Large Community School on a Journey of Transformation

Kenton School stands as one of the largest secondary providers in the North East, serving over 2,000 students in the Kenton area of Newcastle upon Tyne. As a flagship academy within the Northern Leaders Trust, it occupies a sprawling, modern site designed to provide a comprehensive education for students aged 11 to 18. The school finds itself in a significant period of transition, currently holding a Requires Improvement rating from Ofsted while working under a refreshed leadership team appointed to drive up standards across the board.

The scale of the institution is its most defining physical characteristic. It is a school of significant numbers and diverse needs, providing a broad curriculum that spans traditional academic subjects through to technical vocational pathways. While recent performance metrics indicate challenges, particularly in GCSE progress, the school remains a central pillar of the local community, known for its inclusive approach and substantial support for students with additional needs through its specialist classes.

The atmosphere at Kenton School is one of continuous activity, as one might expect from a site catering to such a large population. The campus is modern and well-equipped, featuring a glass-fronted facade and departmental wings that help to break down the vast scale of the student body into more manageable learning zones. Despite the size, there is a clear sense of identity tied to the Northern Leaders ethos, which aims to encourage students to take ownership of their futures.

In 2024, the Northern Leaders Trust appointed a new Principal, Mrs Sinead Green, who joined the school with a mandate to accelerate improvement. This leadership shift has brought a renewed focus on The Kenton Way, a set of behavioral expectations designed to create a calmer, more focused learning environment. Students here come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the school prides itself on being a truly comprehensive melting pot where local Newcastle identity is strong.

The culture is currently shifting toward higher expectations. While previous inspections noted that student behavior could be inconsistent, the current regime has implemented stricter corridors and more rigorous classroom routines. There is a palpable sense of a school trying to rediscover its stride, moving away from a period of instability toward a more settled, ambitious future for its students.

The academic picture at Kenton School is currently mixed, with performance data reflecting the challenges the school is working to overcome. At GCSE level, the school ranks 3,391st in England according to FindMySchool proprietary rankings. This position places the school below the England average, within the national lower band. The Average Attainment 8 score of 37 is below the England average, and the Progress 8 score of -0.85 indicates that students, on average, make less progress between Year 7 and Year 11 than their peers with similar starting points elsewhere.

However, the Post-16 performance shows signs of greater stability. The school ranks 18th in Newcastle for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking). In 2024, nearly a third of students (32.6%) achieved A*-B grades, a respectable figure for a large comprehensive sixth form. While these scores sit below the England averages for top grades, they represent a solid platform for students who choose to stay at the school for their final two years of education.

The curriculum at Kenton is designed for breadth, catering to a student body with a vast range of interests and abilities. In the lower years, there is a strong emphasis on core subjects, though the percentage of students entering the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is currently lower than the England average. This reflects a school that often prioritizes vocational and technical routes alongside traditional GCSEs to ensure all students leave with meaningful qualifications.

Teaching is undergoing a period of refinement. The school has focused heavily on staff development to ensure that lessons are consistently planned and that feedback helps students understand their next steps. Specialist provision is a noted strength; the school hosts special classes for students with additional needs, ensuring that inclusion is not just a policy but a daily practice. The library and digital learning suites are well-utilized, providing students with the resources necessary for independent study, which is particularly encouraged in the Sixth Form.

Where Students Go Next

For the 2024 leavers, the destination data reveals a diverse range of pathways. According to DfE leavers' data, 30% of the cohort progressed to university, while a significant 28% moved directly into employment. This high employment figure is characteristic of the school's focus on practical readiness and its links with local businesses in Tyne and Wear.

A further 6% of students secured apprenticeships, and 4% moved into further education colleges. While the school does not currently have a high volume of Oxbridge successes, it maintains a steady pipeline into regional Russell Group institutions such as Newcastle University and Northumbria University. The school's careers service is active from Year 7, aiming to broaden horizons in a region where vocational paths are often the traditional choice.

Kenton School is a popular choice locally and is currently oversubscribed. In the most recent intake, the school received 462 applications for 286 places, resulting in a subscription proportion of 1.62. This means that for every place available, more than one and a half families applied, highlighting that despite the Requires Improvement rating, the school remains a first-choice for many in the Kenton and Gosforth areas.

Admissions are coordinated by Newcastle City Council. As a state academy, the school follows the standard local authority criteria, prioritizing looked-after children and siblings before allocating places based on distance. Parents should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their precise distance from the school gates compared to last distance offered.

Given its size, Kenton School has had to develop a sophisticated pastoral house or year-group system to ensure no student is lost in the crowd. Each year group is overseen by a dedicated leader and a team of tutors who act as the first point of contact for families. The school has invested significantly in mental health support, with on-site provision for students experiencing anxiety or social challenges.

The school's Requires Improvement status largely stemmed from historical inconsistencies in behavior and attendance. The current leadership has responded with a more assertive pastoral model. This includes a more visible leadership presence in the corridors and a clearer reward system for students who meet the school's high expectations for Ready, Respectful, Safe behavior.

The scale of Kenton allows for an impressive array of extracurricular activities that smaller schools might struggle to match. The school is particularly well-regarded for its performing arts, frequently staging large-scale productions that involve students from all year groups.

STEM: Innovation and Technical Skills

The school has a strong technical focus, with dedicated clubs for coding and robotics. The Design and Technology department is a hive of activity, utilizing industry-standard equipment to allow students to work on projects that bridge the gap between school and engineering careers.

Sport and Outdoor Education

Facilities include large sports halls, all-weather pitches, and a fitness suite. Football is a major pillar of school life, with several teams competing at city and county levels. The school also participates in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, which is popular among students looking to build resilience and leadership skills outside the traditional classroom setting.

The school day typically runs from 8:30am to 3:00pm, with a range of after-school clubs extending until 4:30pm for many students. For families in the Kenton area, the school is well-served by local bus routes, and many students walk or cycle to the site. Detailed information regarding transport passes can be found via the Nexus website or the local authority transport office.

• Current Ofsted Rating: The school is currently rated Requires Improvement following its March 2025 inspection. While leadership has changed and improvements are underway, families should be aware that the school is still in a phase of stabilizing its academic outcomes and behavior consistency.
• Large Scale: With over 2,000 students, the environment can feel overwhelming for some. While the pastoral system is designed to manage this, it is fundamentally a very large, busy institution.
• Academic Progress: Progress 8 scores are currently below the England average. This suggests that students may need to be particularly self-motivated or seek additional support to ensure they achieve their full potential compared to higher-ranking schools.
• Oversubscribed: Despite the challenges, the school is popular. Families living outside the immediate Kenton locality may find it difficult to secure a place without a sibling connection.

Kenton School is an institution with immense potential and the physical resources to match its ambition. It is currently a school in the middle of a major turnaround, led by a trust and principal determined to raise the bar. It best suits students who are resilient, comfortable in a large and diverse environment, and those who may benefit from the broad range of vocational and technical paths on offer alongside A-levels. The main challenge for the school remains translating its scale and modern facilities into consistently high academic progress across all student groups.