Norham High SchoolJohn Spence Community High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in North Shields.
Summary of the comparison
Norham High School and John Spence Community High School are secondary schools in North Shields.
Norham High School scores 58 out of 100 (grade C, average) and John Spence Community High School scores 46 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Norham High School is ahead on our composite score.
Norham High School was judged Good and John Spence Community High School was judged Requires improvement.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 43.3 for Norham High School and 43.0 for John Spence Community High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at Norham High School (41.0 in 2021-22, 43.3 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | North ShieldsNorham High School | North ShieldsJohn Spence Community High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C58/100Stronger figure | D46/100 | |
| Local ranking | 7th of 15 in North Tyneside Stronger figure | 15th of 15 in North Tyneside | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: GoodStronger figure | Ofsted: Requires improvement | |
| School type | Foundation school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 498 | 872 | |
| Capacity | 520 | 885 | |
| Location | North Shields, NE29 7BU | North Shields, NE29 9PU | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 43.3 Stronger figure | 43.0 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 32.9% | 40.0% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 51.2% | 57.6% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 82 | 165 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 456 | 812 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 63.2% | 49.1% | |
| English as an additional language | 13.2% | 4.6% | |
| SEN support | 20.6% | 15.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 13.6% | 4.3% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.0% Stronger figure | 9.5% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 22.5% Stronger figure | 25.1% | 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
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.
Norham High School
John Spence Community High School
Full profiles: Norham High School · John Spence Community High School