Alnwick's high school named as one of best state secondaries

The Alnwick school features on a list, published earlier this week, with the likes of London Academy of Excellence and Dr Challoner’s Grammar School in Buckinghamshire.

The description reads: ‘The Duchess’s School moved to a brand new campus last year, so tails are wagging and morale has never been higher.

‘We hear much praise from parents whose children have sailed through their GCSEs (just under 60 per cent A*-B at A-Level or the BTEC equivalent last year) and from others whose children have needed – and received – extra pastoral support. ‘Communication between school and parents is excellent,’ we’re told.

‘Talented musicians are nurtured, and drama (‘superb,’ we hear) gets the thumbs-up from the local community – performances fill the Alnwick Playhouse to capacity and pupils run the show both behind the scenes and on stage.

‘The school was founded by the Duchess of Northumberland in 1808, and links with the local community and the Percy family are still strong. They’re adding a new Year 7 and Year 8 in September 2017, so pupil numbers will increase to around 1,500. ‘It’s the go-to destination from a very wide radius of mid- and north Northumberland,’ says a local.’

In November, we reported that the Duchess’s was ninth in the top state secondary schools in the region as part of the annual Sunday Times Parent Power.

It ranked the top 2,000 state and independent schools by their latest academic results. King Edward VI School in Morpeth was 10th in the North East.