James Calvert Spence CollegeThe Duchess's Community High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
James Calvert Spence College and The Duchess's Community High School are secondary schools.
James Calvert Spence College scores 50 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and The Duchess's Community High School scores 46 out of 100 (grade D, below average). James Calvert Spence College is ahead on our composite score.
James Calvert Spence College was judged Good and The Duchess's Community High School was judged Requires improvement.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 34.9 for James Calvert Spence College and 43.2 for The Duchess's Community High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at James Calvert Spence College (40.2 in 2021-22, 34.9 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | MorpethJames Calvert Spence College | AlnwickThe Duchess's Community High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D50/100Stronger figure | D46/100 | |
| Local ranking | 20th of 27 in Northumberland Stronger figure | 25th of 27 in Northumberland | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: GoodStronger figure | Ofsted: Requires improvement | |
| School type | Community school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-19 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 636 | 1,341 | |
| Capacity | 1,049 | 1,651 | |
| Location | Morpeth, NE65 0NG | Alnwick, NE66 2DH | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 34.9 | 43.2 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 23.5% | 37.5% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 38.8% | 62.5% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 8.2% | 15.0% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.95 | 3.62 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 85 | 253 | |
| Key Stage 2 (SATs) | |||
| Reading, writing & maths at expected standard | 30.0% | Not reported | 62.0% |
| At higher standard | 3.0% | Not reported | 8.0% |
| Reading average scaled score | 100.0 | Not reported | 106.0 |
| Maths average scaled score | 99.0 | Not reported | 105.0 |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 18 | 84 | |
| A-level average points | 23.7 | 31.8 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | D+ | C+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 27.3 | 33.3 Stronger figure | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 0.0% | 14.3% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 636 | 1,341 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 34.7% | 18.4% | |
| English as an additional language | 2.5% | 2.2% | |
| SEN support | 16.7% | 13.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.7% | 3.9% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 10.6% | 9.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 31.0% | 29.3% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
James Calvert Spence College
The Duchess's Community High School
Full profiles: James Calvert Spence College · The Duchess's Community High School