The North School
Essella Road, Ashford, TN24 8ALOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
The North School is a secondary school in Ashford for ages 11 to 19. It is one of the 692 schools in Kent. It ranks 3rd of 5 secondary schools in Ashford. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in September 2017.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 26 September 2017, report published 19 October 2017
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 12 November 2024
This is a welcoming school that encourages pupils to take responsibility and develop resilience. For example, pupils in the young farmers' club each raise an animal over a year in readiness to present it at a regional show, which requires skill and commitment. Pupils are well supported to learn an interesting and broad curriculum successfully. The school has high ambition for its pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who attend the school's specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Classrooms are typically calm and orderly. In the sixth form, lessons are highly purposeful. Students work hard and with independence. Where disruption occurs, the school addresses it promptly to ensure that any impact on pupils' learning is limited. Bullying is not commonplace and is typically well dealt with where it does happen. The school provides pupils with a wide choice of clubs, which broaden their experiences. For example, pupils compete as part of popular basketball and tennis academies. Educational visits extend pupils' learning. For example, Year 10 pupils develop their geography fieldwork skills on a range of visits to urban and rural locations.
What the school should improve
- In some instances, teachers do not check systematically that pupils can recall and use the ambitious vocabulary they have been taught. As a result, some pupils are less confident in using precise language in their spoken and written work, which means that their work is sometimes of a lower quality than the school intends. The school should ensure that teachers check carefully that pupils have understood and can use new vocabulary in their work.
- Occasionally, the work that teachers give pupils does not focus sharply on the ambitious aims of the school's curriculum. As a result, there are occasions when pupils do not have opportunities to apply and practise all that they have been taught. The school should provide teachers with training and guidance to support them in providing work that enables all pupils to apply ambitious content from the school's curriculum.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
228 pupils in the year group
A level results (key stage 5), 2024/25
48 students
Average A level grade C, England average B-
Pupil numbers and mix
1,237 pupils on roll, with places for 1,265
Schools near The North School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Norton Knatchbull School | 0.3 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 67.3 |
| Ashford School | 0.5 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Attainment 8: 47.9 |
| Highworth Grammar School | 1 mile | Ofsted judgements: Outstanding | Attainment 8: 70.8 |
| The John Wallis Church of England Academy | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 30.6 |
| Towers School and Sixth Form Centre | 2 miles | Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement to good | Attainment 8: 40.6 |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- SWALE ACADEMIES TRUST
- Age range
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mrs Clair Ellerby
- Phone
- 01233614600
- Address
- Essella Road, Ashford, TN24 8AL
- Local authority
- Kent
- URN
- 148712
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.