Excelsior Academy

About Excelsior Academy

Excelsior Academy sits within Newcastle upon Tyne local authority as a mixed, state secondary serving pupils from age 3 to 19. The local area has 19 secondary schools of the same type, and Excelsior is not among the top-ranked peers in the borough. The highest-ranked nearby school is Gosforth Junior High Academy, followed by St Mary's Catholic School and Sacred Heart Catholic High School, the latter of which is also the nearest school rated Outstanding, at just 2.2 km away. With 1,439 pupils on roll, Excelsior is a large school, but its most recent Ofsted inspection graded it as Requires Improvement. That places it well behind the two Outstanding schools in the local authority, and the school will need to demonstrate sustained improvement to compete with the stronger performers in the area.

Academically, the picture is mixed. The local authority average Progress 8 score is -0.4, which is below the national average, and Excelsior's own performance in this measure is not provided in the data. Without specific exam results or a Progress 8 score for the school itself, it is difficult to compare directly with the LA average or with its top peers. The Ofsted rating of Requires Improvement suggests that the school has been identified as needing to raise standards, particularly in core subjects. For parents considering Excelsior, the lack of published academic outcomes means that the most reliable benchmark is the inspection judgement, which indicates that the school is not yet delivering consistently good outcomes for its pupils, especially when set against the stronger performers in the local area.

On the practical side, Excelsior offers a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, chapel, sports hall, astro turf, and tennis courts, as well as dedicated art studios, science labs, and a sixth form centre. Sports provision covers cricket, football, basketball, tennis, cross country, athletics, and swimming, while clubs include debate, drama, Model UN, eco club, newspaper, and book club. The school's age range from 3 to 19 means it can offer continuity through to sixth form, which may appeal to families who prefer a single setting. However, with an Ofsted Requires Improvement rating and no indication of oversubscription, the school is likely to be a more accessible option for families who are not able to secure a place at one of the higher-rated local schools, such as Sacred Heart Catholic High School.

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