The King Edward VI School

About The King Edward VI School

The King Edward VI School holds an Ofsted Outstanding rating from its most recent inspection in 2021, with every category assessed — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision — all judged Outstanding. But the single most telling metric for academic performance is its Progress 8 score of 1.21, which places pupils nearly a grade and a quarter above the national average per subject. To put that in context, the local authority average Progress 8 for Northumberland is -0.22, meaning the school is performing well over a full grade above the typical school in its area. This score ranks it first out of 16 secondary schools in Northumberland, first out of 142 schools in the North East region, and 25th nationally out of 3,141 schools. It is one of only two Outstanding-rated secondaries in the entire local authority.

At Key Stage 4, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 81.7, and every single pupil achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths — a 100 per cent basics pass rate at both the 9-4 and 9-5 thresholds. The EBacc average point score is 7.85, and over 85 per cent of pupils entered the EBacc suite of subjects. In the sixth form, the school’s average points per entry is 48.08, equivalent to a grade A-, and 61 per cent of A-level entries achieved grades AAB or higher. The sixth-form value-added score is 0.03, which is rated as Average, though the school’s best three A-levels average out at an A- grade. Progress in maths at KS4 is particularly strong, with a Progress 8 score of 1.27, while English progress is 0.78 — still well above average.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 345 applications for 84 places, with 227 first-preference applications and only 83 first-preference offers — an oversubscription ratio of 4.11 to one. It serves pupils aged 13 to 18, with a total roll of 1,340 against a capacity of 850, so it is operating well above its stated capacity. Facilities include a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a sixth-form centre, and music rooms. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and physical disabilities. With its exceptional academic outcomes and strong extracurricular offer — including Model UN, Young Enterprise, DofE, and a range of sports — this is a school that will particularly suit academically ambitious families who are prepared for a competitive admissions process.

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