The Maplesden Noakes School
Buckland Road, Maidstone, ME16 0TJ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE MAPLESDEN NOAKES SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr Tom Newcombe
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- The Maplesden Noakes School
- Constituency
- Maidstone and Malling
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,500
- Pupils on roll
- 1,418
- URN
- 137833
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01622759036
About this school
The Maplesden Noakes School is a secondary academy in Maidstone. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,418 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 209 | 206 | 194 |
| Attainment 8 score | 38.1 | 36.7 | 39.6 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.57 -0.76 to -0.37 | -0.55 -0.75 to -0.36 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 14% | 18% | 28.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 48% | 46.6% | 58.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 6% | 6.3% | 10.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Maplesden Noakes School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 38.1 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 36.7 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 39.6 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,359 |
| 2023/24 | 1,411 |
| 2024/25 | 1,421 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Maplesden Noakes School compares
The Maplesden Noakes School ranked 63rd of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 37% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 39.6 | 9.1% | 25.6% | 1,418 | — |
| Maidstone Grammar School for Girls | 66.4 | 5.3% | 9.9% | 1,254 | 0.1 miles |
| St Simon Stock Catholic School | 46.6 | 8.6% | 16.5% | 1,148 | 0.8 miles |
| St Augustine Academy | 35.1 | 9.1% | 34.2% | 673 | 0.8 miles |
| Oakwood Park Grammar School | 68.9 | 5% | 7.6% | 1,100 | 0.9 miles |
| Invicta Grammar School | 70.8 | 3.8% | 7.3% | 1,670 | 1.2 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 25.56%
- English as an additional language
- 15.6%
- Overall absence
- 9.07%
- Persistent absence
- 26.21%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Maidstone Grammar School for Girls0.1 miles
Secondary · Maidstone
-
St Simon Stock Catholic School0.8 miles
Secondary · Maidstone
-
St Augustine Academy0.8 miles
Secondary · Maidstone
-
Oakwood Park Grammar School0.9 miles
Secondary · Maidstone
-
Invicta Grammar School1.2 miles
Secondary · Maidstone
Other schools in Maidstone
The Maplesden Noakes School ranks 7th of the 12 ranked secondary schools in Maidstone.
- Cornwallis Academy Secondary
- Invicta Grammar School Secondary
- Maidstone Grammar School Secondary
- Maidstone Grammar School for Girls Secondary
- New Line Learning Academy Secondary
- Oakwood Park Grammar School Secondary
- School of Science and Technology Maidstone Secondary
- St Augustine Academy Secondary
- St Simon Stock Catholic School Secondary
- The Lenham School Secondary
- Valley Park School Secondary
- Allington Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does The Maplesden Noakes School teach?
- The Maplesden Noakes School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Maidstone.
- Who is the headteacher of The Maplesden Noakes School?
- The headteacher of The Maplesden Noakes School is Mr Tom Newcombe, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Maplesden Noakes School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Maplesden Noakes School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is The Maplesden Noakes School?
- The Maplesden Noakes School has 1,418 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Maplesden Noakes School full?
- The Maplesden Noakes School has capacity for 1,500 pupils and 1,418 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Maplesden Noakes School a faith school?
- No. The Maplesden Noakes School has no designated religious character.
- Is The Maplesden Noakes School a selective school?
- No. The Maplesden Noakes School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs The Maplesden Noakes School?
- The Maplesden Noakes School is part of THE MAPLESDEN NOAKES SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Maplesden Noakes School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 38.1 in 2022/23 and 39.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Maplesden Noakes School rank locally?
- The Maplesden Noakes School ranked 63rd of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 37% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Maplesden Noakes School's absence rate?
- The Maplesden Noakes School's overall absence rate is 9.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Maplesden Noakes School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Maplesden Noakes School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.