Norham High School Review 2026: Inclusive 11 to 16 in North Shields

On Alnwick Avenue in Chirton, Norham High School’s identity is stitched into the uniform: students wear a lion as a symbol of the school’s ethos and ambition. It is also, very plainly, an 11 to 16 school with no sixth form, built around a published capacity of 895, so the whole rhythm of the place is about getting students through Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4, and GCSEs with clear routines and steady support.

Norham is a state secondary school for boys and girls aged 11 to 16 in North Shields, Tyne and Wear. The most recent Ofsted inspection rated the school Good. It sits within the North Tyneside area and is supported by the North Tyneside Learning Trust, which matters because admissions, policy and wider accountability are set in a familiar local-authority pattern rather than a selective or niche model.

The language of Pride, Determination and Strength runs through Norham’s public messaging, and it reads as more than branding when you look at the systems around the school day. There is an emphasis on participation and structure, including active lunches as a daily expectation for students, which signals a school that thinks carefully about what happens outside lessons as well as inside them.

Pastoral identity is also framed outwardly. Norham holds School of Sanctuary status, which is tied to an explicit focus on inclusion, understanding the wider world, and creating a school culture where students from different backgrounds feel safe and welcome. For families, that is a useful clue: this is not a school that talks only about grades and behaviour, but one that wants students to understand how to live alongside others and take responsibility for how they treat people.

Leadership is another anchor point. Headteacher Terry Conway has led the school since 2019, and the governance structure sits alongside the Trust, with a governing body that includes the headteacher as a member. That combination often brings a clearer line of sight from leadership decisions to classroom routines, and it helps explain why Norham talks so often about consistency, expectations and building confidence, especially for students who arrive with gaps to close.

GCSE results

Norham’s headline GCSE position is modest on the England-wide picture, but not flat. Ranked 3,143rd in England and 4th in North Shields for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits below England average overall, placing it in the lower 40% of schools in England on this measure. That context matters: it frames Norham as a school still building performance, rather than one cruising on historic results.

The underlying numbers add nuance. Attainment 8 is 40.2 and Progress 8 is +0.2, a combination that usually reads as students making above-average progress from their starting points even if the overall attainment level remains a work in progress. For families, that can be reassuring for a child who needs a school to add value steadily rather than rely on a high prior-attaining intake.

The EBacc picture is comparatively weaker. The average EBacc APS is 3.3 (England average: 4.08), and 5.7% of students achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc measure. That does not mean the school lacks ambition; it does suggest that the EBacc suite is not where Norham’s results currently shine, and parents who strongly prioritise languages and the full EBacc pathway should look closely at curriculum choices and how options are structured.

Parents comparing local secondaries can use the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools to look at these measures side by side, rather than relying on a single headline.

Norham runs a fortnightly timetable (a Week 1 and Week 2), which gives the school flexibility in how subjects are organised and can help with breadth across the two-week cycle. For students, it is a straightforward message early on: organisation matters, and remembering which week you are in is part of learning to manage secondary school.

In classrooms, there is an explicit drive to close gaps, especially where students arrive less secure with reading. Students are encouraged to read aloud and build confidence through routines that make participation normal rather than exceptional. That kind of approach can suit children who need repetition and reassurance before they will take academic risks.

Outside the main timetable, there is also a strong emphasis on additional learning time. Independent Learning sessions and Period 6 sit as named, structured parts of the week, not an optional afterthought. It is a school that expects effort to be visible, and for many students that clarity is helpful. For a child who resists extra sessions, it is a conversation worth having early.

Norham is an 11 to 16 school, so every student faces a post-16 decision at the end of Year 11. The school puts weight behind careers education and guidance, including exposure to different routes and job roles, which matters in North Tyneside where the best next step is not the same for every teenager. A strong careers programme can be the difference between a student drifting into a default choice and one making a plan they can sustain.

For many families, the practical question is how confidently the school prepares students for the move into sixth form colleges, training or apprenticeships. Norham’s emphasis on guidance interviews, focused days and contact with colleges is designed to make that transition feel planned rather than abrupt. If you are shortlisting, it is worth asking how the school supports students who need help choosing courses, and how it keeps momentum after GCSE mocks when motivation can wobble.

Routes and criteria

Norham is a non-selective state school and admissions are coordinated by North Tyneside Council. Demand is real: 211 applications for 87 offers, which works out at about 2.43 applications per place. For families, that translates into competition and the need to make the application carefully and on time, rather than assuming a place will follow automatically.

The school also sets out a clear route for children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), where admissions are handled through the local authority SEND team. Separately, Norham runs an Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) for students with language and communication difficulties, including autism, and it is explicit that support is shaped around what each child can manage in mainstream lessons and what they need in a more tailored setting.

Timeline and practicalities

The published deadline for coordinated applications in the most recent cycle shown on the school’s admissions page is in late October. The exact dates change each year, so families should check the council timetable alongside the school’s guidance, particularly if you are moving house or applying from outside the immediate area.

If you are weighing Norham against other options, the FindMySchool shortlist tools can help you keep track of deadlines and key questions as you narrow choices. The biggest hurdle here is admission rather than what follows, so organisation is part of the strategy.

Wellbeing at Norham is not confined to a single poster or a one-off week. The school uses the Thrive Approach and talks openly about building emotional resilience alongside learning. Trained Thrive Practitioners are part of that picture, and the language is practical: identify barriers, build confidence, and help students return to learning in a steadier state.

Targeted support is also more formal for some students. EDEN (Emotional Development Enrich Nuture) opened in 2024 to provide specialist support for students with an EHCP where the primary focus is social, emotional and mental health, with a smaller setting and a curriculum that blends academic work with therapeutic and vocational elements such as animal care, horticulture and creative arts. The school also references an in-house counsellor and a school nurse within this support ecosystem, which points to a pastoral model that expects some students to need sustained, skilled help, not just occasional check-ins.

Safeguarding is treated as a core responsibility, with clear reporting and follow-up. For parents, the most useful signal is whether students know who to go to when something is wrong and whether staff act quickly. Norham positions itself as a school where that line is understood.

Clubs & enrichment

Norham’s extra-curricular picture is closely tied to the school’s overall approach: structured routines, extra learning time, and a belief that participation should be normal. Active lunches are framed as a daily expectation. After school, Independent Learning sessions and Period 6 create a scaffold for students who need extra time, and there is also a Friday after-school wellbeing session intended to support mental and physical wellbeing.

Enrichment is not only academic. School life includes opportunities for students to develop interests through clubs such as origami, drama and gardening. That range matters because it gives different types of student a way to belong. A child who does not see themselves as “sporty” or “top set” still needs a place to put down roots.

Trips and wider world

The school also runs structured experiences beyond the classroom. Year 9 Enrichment Week materials reference visits such as Newcastle College and Sambuca, the Discovery Museum and Newcastle Castle Keep, and Rising Sun Park. Those are practical, local trips with a purpose: they widen horizons, strengthen social confidence, and give students something concrete to talk and write about back in school.

For students in specialist support settings, enrichment is also built into the offer. Duke of Edinburgh appears within the broader support curriculum, alongside life skills and practical learning, which can be an important lever for self-esteem when conventional lessons have been a struggle.

Transport & parking

Norham sits in the Chirton area of North Shields, and the Tyne and Wear Metro is the key rail link in this part of North Tyneside, with North Shields providing the main town hub for services. Most families will be using a mix of local buses, walking routes and short car journeys. Parking is largely on surrounding streets, so drop-off and pick-up can feel tight and time-sensitive.

The school day

The published school day runs from 08:25 to 14:55, with an expectation that students arrive by 08:20. Lunchtime is structured with a split between Key Stage 3 lunch and Key Stage 4 boosters and active lunch, which reinforces the sense of a school that uses the middle of the day deliberately rather than leaving it to chance. The shorter finish time can be a genuine advantage for some families, but it also makes after-school commitments more central if a student needs extra academic support.

Competition for places: With 211 applications for 87 offers (about 2.43 applicants per place), admission is not a formality. Families should treat the application as time-critical and plan ahead if a move or change of circumstances is on the cards.

Results profile: The FindMySchool GCSE ranking places Norham in the lower 40% of schools in England on this measure. Progress 8 is positive, which is encouraging, but families who want very high headline attainment may prefer to look at how subject choice, support and teaching routines fit their child, rather than expecting a quick shortcut to top-end grades.

EBacc priorities: EBacc measures are currently the weaker part of the published profile, with an EBacc APS of 3.3 (England average: 4.08) and 5.7% achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc measure. If languages and the EBacc pathway are central to your plans, ask detailed questions about uptake, timetabling and how the school supports students to sustain a broader academic suite.

Extra learning time: Independent Learning and Period 6 are part of the school’s culture, and older students can expect regular after-school sessions. For some teenagers, that structure is exactly what they need. For others, it can feel relentless, particularly if travel home is complicated.

Norham High School is best understood as an improving, structured, inclusive 11 to 16 in North Shields, with a clear emphasis on routines, participation and targeted support. Its strongest story is the progress it expects students to make, especially when they arrive needing confidence rebuilt and habits strengthened. The presence of the ARP and the newer EDEN offer adds weight for families who need more than generic support.

Best suited to students who respond well to clear expectations, steady pastoral scaffolding and a school that wants everyone involved, including at lunch and after lessons. The challenge lies in admission rather than what follows, and families should weigh the results profile carefully alongside the school’s support and culture.