Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #10 in Newcastle upon Tyne public Top 43% UK

Benfield School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Anthony Martin

corporate_fareNEAT ACADEMY TRUST

location_onNewcastle-upon-Tyne, NE6 4NU

language Visit Website phone 1912656091

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2025

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Students

979

trending_up

Attainment 8

33.5

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GCSE Rank

#10 in Newcastle upon Tyne

#3,089 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Benfield School is a Academy converter secondary school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, serving ages 11-16. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

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School Summary

Benfield School is an academy converter in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of NEAT ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 920 pupils on roll, of whom 68% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 33.5, placing the school #10 in Newcastle upon Tyne and #3,089 of 3,216 nationally. 24.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 9.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement, personal development Good, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.3× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 14.2:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 8 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 36.9 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

33.5

Grade 5+ E&M

24.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)9.6%

Entering EBacc27.90%

EBacc APS3.07

2024

Progress 8 Score

-1.09

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

32.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19.10%

EBacc APS3.03

2023

Progress 8 Score

-1.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

33.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS2.89

2022

Progress 8 Score

-1.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

37.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc8%

EBacc APS3.1

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.57

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

36.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc2%

EBacc APS3

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.65

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

35.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS2.85

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

82%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)74%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

85%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)76%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)15%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)77%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

86%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)13%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate87.50%

2022

Avg Grade

D-

Students

Retention rate90.5%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

07 May 2025

Inspection Report

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19 June 2024

Inspection Report

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10 May 2023

Inspection Report

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03 March 2020

Inspection Report

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05 May 2017

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

5 Evaluations

2025-05-07

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2023-05-10

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2020-03-03

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2015-05-06

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2013-05-08

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

31.7%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

11.2%(103 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

3pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 920 pupils. During this period, there were 292 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 31.7%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	920	292	31.7%	7.3%	3
2024/25 (Autumn term)	928	391	42.1%	7.8%	5
2023/24 (Summer term)	970	347	35.8%	7.4%	6
2023/24 (Spring term)	969	307	31.7%	7.1%	5
2023/24 (Autumn term)	961	314	32.7%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	996	476	47.8%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	979	317	32.4%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	965	249	25.8%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,036	223	21.5%	4.7%	2
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,046	167	16.0%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,077	70	6.5%	4.4%	3
2020/21 (Summer term)	998	24	2.4%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	977	9	0.9%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	968	114	11.8%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	873	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	873	80	9.2%	3.2%	4
2019/20 (Autumn term)	867	69	8.0%	4.2%	7
2018/19 (Summer term)	749	72	9.6%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	743	67	9.0%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	748	67	9.0%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	665	69	10.4%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	662	45	6.8%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	671	49	7.3%	3.7%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 57 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 44 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 40 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 34 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 27 pupils

Physical Disability 10 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

33.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

34.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

16.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree6%

agree14%

disagree23%

strongly disagree51%

don't know6%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree7%

agree15%

disagree25%

strongly disagree51%

don't know1%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree8%

agree9%

disagree22%

strongly disagree54%

don't know2%

not applicable6%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes34%

no66%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree14%

agree14%

disagree22%

strongly disagree51%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree13%

agree23%

disagree18%

strongly disagree31%

don't know15%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree11%

agree34%

disagree19%

strongly disagree30%

don't know6%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree9%

agree20%

disagree26%

strongly disagree45%

don't know1%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree10%

agree38%

disagree21%

strongly disagree21%

don't know11%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree16%

agree42%

disagree14%

strongly disagree13%

don't know15%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree10%

agree13%

disagree27%

strongly disagree45%

don't know5%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes26%

no74%

Top Secondary Schools in Newcastle upon Tyne

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

St Mary's Catholic School

Outstanding

location_on Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE7 7PE

emoji_events #1 in LA

Gosforth Academy

Good

location_on Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE3 2JH

emoji_events #2 in LA

Jesmond Park Academy

Good

location_on Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE7 7DP

emoji_events #3 in LA

Sacred Heart Catholic High School

Outstanding

location_on Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE4 9YH

emoji_events #4 in LA

St Cuthbert's High School

Good

location_on Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE15 7PX

emoji_events #5 in LA

Walbottle Academy

Good

location_on Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE15 9TP

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Newcastle upon Tyne arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Newcastle upon Tyne

St Mary's Catholic School

Gosforth Academy

Jesmond Park Academy

Sacred Heart Catholic High School

St Cuthbert's High School

Walbottle Academy