The Norton Knatchbull School
Hythe Road, Ashford, TN24 0QJ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE NORTON KNATCHBULL SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr Ben Greene
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Constituency
- Ashford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,316
- Pupils on roll
- 1,348
- URN
- 138019
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01233620045
About this school
The Norton Knatchbull School is a boys' secondary academy in Ashford. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,348 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 | 187 | 205 | 208 |
| Attainment 8 score | 63.3 | 64.2 | 67.3 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.43 +0.22 to +0.63 | +0.32 +0.12 to +0.52 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 87% | 85.9% | 90.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 96% | 97.1% | 97.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 93% | 96.6% | 98.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 6.1 | 6.2 | 6.5 |
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 Norton Knatchbull 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 | 63.3 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 64.2 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 67.3 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,252 |
| 2023/24 | 1,274 |
| 2024/25 | 1,289 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Norton Knatchbull School compares
The Norton Knatchbull School ranked 13th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 97% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67.3 | 4% | 10.4% | 1,348 | — |
| The North School | 41.1 | 9.8% | 32.9% | 1,237 | 0.3 miles |
| Highworth Grammar School | 70.8 | 4.8% | 8.4% | 1,553 | 1.3 miles |
| Towers School and Sixth Form Centre | 40.6 | 9.6% | 30.2% | 1,538 | 1.9 miles |
| Chilmington Green School | — | 4.4% | 27.7% | 449 | 3.4 miles |
| Wye School | 46.6 | 6.4% | 24.3% | 557 | 3.4 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.
Inspection history
- 13 December 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report20 October 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 10.43%
- English as an additional language
- 17.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.04%
- Persistent absence
- 6.66%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The North School0.3 miles
Secondary · Ashford
-
Highworth Grammar School1.3 miles
Secondary · Ashford
-
Towers School and Sixth Form Centre1.9 miles
Secondary · Ashford
-
Chilmington Green School3.4 miles
Secondary · Great Chart
-
Wye School3.4 miles
Secondary · Wye
Other schools in Ashford
The Norton Knatchbull School ranks 2nd of the 5 ranked secondary schools in Ashford.
- Highworth Grammar School Secondary
- The North School Secondary
- Towers School and Sixth Form Centre Secondary
- Aldington Primary School Primary
- Ashford Oaks Community Primary School Primary
- Ashford, St Mary's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Beaver Green Primary School Primary
- Bethersden Primary School Primary
- Bodsham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Brabourne Church of England Primary School Primary
- Brook Community Primary School Primary
- Challock Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does The Norton Knatchbull School teach?
- The Norton Knatchbull School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Ashford.
- Who is the headteacher of The Norton Knatchbull School?
- The headteacher of The Norton Knatchbull School is Mr Ben Greene, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Norton Knatchbull School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Norton Knatchbull 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 Norton Knatchbull School?
- The Norton Knatchbull School has 1,348 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Norton Knatchbull School full?
- The Norton Knatchbull School has capacity for 1,316 pupils and 1,348 on roll (102%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Norton Knatchbull School a faith school?
- No. The Norton Knatchbull School has no designated religious character.
- Is The Norton Knatchbull School a selective school?
- Yes. The Norton Knatchbull School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Who runs The Norton Knatchbull School?
- The Norton Knatchbull School is part of THE NORTON KNATCHBULL SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Norton Knatchbull School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 63.3 in 2022/23 and 67.3 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 Norton Knatchbull School rank locally?
- The Norton Knatchbull School ranked 13th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 97% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% 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 Norton Knatchbull School's absence rate?
- The Norton Knatchbull School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Norton Knatchbull School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Norton Knatchbull 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.