Walbottle Academy Review 2026: Large, inclusive Newcastle secondary with a growing sixth form

A big 11 to 18 academy with the scale to offer breadth, and the ambition to tighten routines and raise outcomes. Walbottle Academy is part of Northern Education Trust and is led by Principal Mr Richard Harrison.

Parents should expect a structured day, clear expectations, and a strong emphasis on attendance and learning habits. Students can arrive early for Breakfast Club, then stay on for after school enrichment sessions.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (25 January 2023, published 14 March 2023) judged the school Good across all main areas, including sixth form provision.

This is a genuinely comprehensive intake school, explicitly non selective in its stated ethos, and designed to serve its local community at scale. That matters for families weighing up fit: expectations are high, but the offer is built around inclusion rather than selection.

A Northern Education Trust school tends to put systems front and centre, and Walbottle fits that pattern. The trust’s behaviour and classroom expectations framework is explicit about consistency, calm corridors, and learning first, while also acknowledging that a minority of students need adjustments and wider pastoral planning.

Walbottle’s physical story is also one of reinvention. The predecessor campus was rebuilt in the late 2000s through the Building Schools for the Future programme, and Parliament records include Walbottle Campus Technology College in the list of completed new build schemes.

For GCSE outcomes, Walbottle ranks 2,625th in England and 17th in Newcastle (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). This places performance broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

Headline indicators explain why. Attainment 8 is 40.4, and Progress 8 is -0.69, which indicates that students, on average, make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally. EBacc entry and achievement are also low: 14.1% achieved grade 5 or above in EBacc subjects, with an EBacc average point score of 3.71 compared with an England figure of 4.08.

The sixth form picture is similar in overall positioning. Walbottle ranks 1,339th in England and 16th in Newcastle for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), again aligning with the middle band nationally. In the latest available A-level data, 9.57% of grades were A*, and 40% of grades were A* to B, compared with an England benchmark of 47.2% at A* to B.

What this means for families is straightforward. Walbottle is not currently a “results first” outlier in England league terms, but it is a school with published systems, a clear sixth form pathway, and enough subject and enrichment infrastructure to support students who respond well to structure and routine.

The curriculum is framed as knowledge rich and ambitious, with a stated 3:2 model, three years for Years 7 to 9 programmes of study and a two year Key Stage 4 structure that allows guided pathways at GCSE. That structure matters because it signals a deliberate approach to sequencing and option choice, rather than a loose “pick what you like” model.

Learning outside the classroom is also built into the model. Online platforms are used for retrieval, practice, and revision: Seneca is used for English and Science homework; Sparx Maths provides tailored mathematics practice; LanguageNut supports modern foreign languages; and subject specific trust sites support KS3 and KS4 Geography and History with videos, podcasts, and quizzes.

An important practical implication is that students who are organised, and who reliably complete short, frequent practice tasks, should find plenty of scaffolding. Families may want to check early how homework is set and monitored for their child’s year group, and whether support is available after school for those who struggle with independent study.

For post 16 and post 18 planning, Walbottle is explicit that it aims to support routes into university and apprenticeships, and the sixth form description highlights careers support from the start of Year 12. The school’s own admissions information also references university fairs, visits from the University of Oxford, and oracy workshops as part of the sixth form experience.

Because the school’s website provides examples but not a full destinations dataset, the most reliable picture comes from the published leaver destination figures. For the 2023/24 leaver cohort (81 students), 53% progressed to university, 7% started apprenticeships, 19% entered employment, and 5% moved into further education.

Oxbridge progression exists but is small in absolute numbers. In the tracked measurement period, there were 2 applications and 1 acceptance overall.

The implication is that Walbottle’s sixth form is likely to suit students who want a local, structured post 16 option with a mix of academic and applied routes, and who benefit from frequent guidance. High attaining students aiming for very competitive university courses should expect to do additional independent reading and preparation, but will find that the school signals ambition and provides touchpoints such as external university engagement.

Walbottle Academy is a state school with no tuition fees. Admissions for Year 7 places are coordinated through Newcastle City Council, and the school publishes a planned admission number (PAN) of 330.

For September 2026 entry (the 2026/27 academic year), the school lists these key dates: applications open 01 September 2025; closing date 31 October 2025; National Offer Day 02 March 2026; final date for appeal requests 02 April 2026; with appeal hearings typically in June or July 2026.

The school also lists designated feeder primaries, which include Beech Hill Primary, Lemington Riverside Primary, Throckley Primary, Walbottle Village Primary, and others across Outer West Newcastle. For families with younger children, that feeder list is a useful starting point for understanding local transfer patterns and peer groups.

Sixth form entry is open to students from across the city, and the published general requirements include at least grade 4 in GCSE Maths and English, plus an expectation of at least five grade 5s or above at GCSE, alongside subject specific requirements.

A practical tip for parents using FindMySchool: where admission is tight, it is worth using Map Search to check your likely distance and travel time, then saving a shortlist and comparing local outcomes side by side using the Comparison Tool.

Walbottle’s wellbeing information is unusually specific about how support is delivered day to day. Students are taught health and wellbeing explicitly through a life curriculum, which is described as spiralled and age appropriate. The same page notes a form or tutor style structure (VMG) used to address contextual safeguarding and local community issues.

The support model is built around the Learning Manager role plus a team that includes two Safe and Wellbeing officers, with the option for students to book appointments when they feel they need additional help. Links with local services are also referenced, including Rise and School Health, which suggests the school expects to coordinate with external agencies where appropriate.

Safeguarding roles are clearly signposted, with a published list of key safeguarding staff that includes the Principal and the designated safeguarding leads and deputies. That kind of clarity is helpful for families, because it makes escalation routes transparent if concerns arise.

The co curriculum is positioned as part of school culture, not an optional extra. The school explicitly frames enrichment as a way to accelerate academic progress through catch up and support sessions, alongside wider personal development opportunities. Enrichment sessions run after school from 2:30pm to 3:30pm, and the programme is overseen by a named senior leader.

A notable feature is the way enrichment links into learning systems. The school’s online learning stack is designed to reinforce classroom teaching with frequent retrieval and targeted practice, which can be especially helpful for students who need structured repetition to master key content.

For students who enjoy reading and tracking progress, the Book Miles Reading Challenge is promoted through the school’s online tools menu. For families, that signals a school that is actively trying to make reading visible and measurable, rather than leaving it as a vague aspiration.

Breakfast Club starts at 7:45am, and students are expected to be on site by 8:20am. After school enrichment runs from 2:30pm to 3:30pm. Full lesson and break timings are provided in the published Academy Day information.

Transport is a meaningful consideration in Outer West Newcastle. The school publishes bus timetable updates, including changes to morning services to support punctual arrival, and references a new service (154) introduced to replace the need to use the X82. Families relying on buses should review the latest route documentation before committing to a travel plan.

• Progress measures. A Progress 8 score of -0.69 indicates outcomes below national expectations for pupils with similar starting points. Families may want to ask how the school targets support for students who fall behind, and how quickly intervention begins.

• EBacc uptake and outcomes. EBacc entry and grade 5 plus success are low, which may matter for families who strongly prioritise an academic, language and humanities pathway.

• Scale. With capacity around 1,885, this is a large school. That can mean breadth and specialist staffing; it can also feel less personal for students who need a smaller setting to thrive.

• Sixth form entry standards. The published entry bar includes specific GCSE grade expectations. Students who are undecided about post 16 plans should discuss pathways early in Year 11 to avoid last minute surprises.

Walbottle Academy is a substantial Newcastle secondary that puts structure, inclusion, and systems at the centre of its offer. Its current results profile sits broadly in line with the middle band of schools in England, with clear priorities around improving progress and building strong routines.

Best suited to families who want a large, local 11 to 18 school with a clearly signposted day, strong attendance and learning expectations, and an accessible sixth form route. For students who respond well to consistent routines and benefit from frequent practice and guidance, Walbottle can be a sensible, practical choice.