The Norton Knatchbull School[1]

Grammar · Secondary · ages 11–18

Headline results

Attainment 8: A8 64 64.2 2025/26[2]
A-level average grade: AL C+ C+ 2024/25[3]

Results

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8: 64.2 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths: 82.7% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths: 35.1% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8: +0.32 2023/24[4]
Progress 8, 2025/26: Not calculated[5]
Progress 8, 2024/25: Not calculated[5]

Earlier years
Year	Attainment 8	Grade 5+ in English & maths	Progress 8
2024/25	67.3[6]	90.9%[6]
2023/24	64.2[4]	85.9%[4]	+0.32[4]
2022/23	63.3[7]	87%[7]	+0.43[7]
2021/22	67.1[8]	91%[8]	+0.29[8]

A level (16–18)

A-level average grade: C+ 2024/25[3]
AAB or better, at least two in facilitating subjects: 11.5% 2024/25[3]
All results, 2020/21: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]
All results, 2019/20: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]

Earlier years
Year	A-level average grade	AAB or better, at least two in facilitating subjects
2023/24	C+[10]	11.8%[10]
2022/23	C[11]	11.8%[11]
2021/22	B[12]	18.6%[12]
2018/19	C+[13]	10.2%[13]

Destinations after GCSEs

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment: 97% 2022/23[14]
School sixth form: 80% 2022/23[14]
Sixth-form college: 0% 2022/23[14]
Further education college: 14% 2022/23[14]
Apprenticeship: 1% 2022/23[14]
Employment: 1% 2022/23[14]

Earlier leavers
Left in	Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment	School sixth form	Sixth-form college	Further education college	Apprenticeship	Employment
2021/22	99%[15]	86%[15]	0%[15]	10%[15]	2%[15]	1%[15]
2020/21	99%[16]	89%[16]	0%[16]	5%[16]	2%[16]	1%[16]
2019/20	97%[17]	85%[17]	0%[17]	10%[17]	0%[17]	1%[17]
2018/19	99%[18]	79%[18]	0%[18]	17%[18]	1%[18]	2%[18]

Destinations after 16–18 study

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment: 89% 2022/23[19]
Education: 66% 2022/23[19]
Apprenticeship: 5% 2022/23[19]
Employment: 18% 2022/23[19]

Earlier leavers
Left in	Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment	Education	Apprenticeship	Employment
2021/22	91%[20]	66%[20]	6%[20]	18%[20]
2020/21	93%[21]	65%[21]	6%[21]	23%[21]
2019/20	92%[22]	64%[22]	5%[22]	23%[22]
2018/19	94%[23]	69%[23]	4%[23]	21%[23]

Higher education after 16–18 study

Progressed to higher education: 69% 2021/22[24]
Top third of most selective universities: 19% 2021/22[24]
Russell Group universities: 20% 2019/20[25]
Oxford or Cambridge: 0% 2019/20[25]

Earlier leavers
Left in	Progressed to higher education	Top third of most selective universities	Russell Group universities	Oxford or Cambridge
2020/21	71%[26]	27%[26]
2019/20	73%[25]	21%[25]	20%[25]	0%[25]
2018/19	75%[27]	20%[27]	18%[27]	0%[27]
2017/18	64%[28]	13%[28]	7%[28]	0%[28]

Shares of the pupils who left in the year shown. Russell Group and Oxford or Cambridge figures were published for leavers up to 2019/20 only.

Ofsted

Latest inspection: 13 Dec 2023[29]
Type: S5 Inspection[29]
Report published: 29 Jan 2024[29]
Personal development: Good[29]
Quality of education: Good[29]
Overall effectiveness: Good[29]
Behaviour and attitudes: Good[29]
Safeguarding is effective: Yes[29]
Sixth form provision (where applicable): Good[29]
Effectiveness of leadership and management: Good[29]

Earlier inspections
Inspection	Type	Overall
19 Oct 2022[30]	Section 8 inspection of good and outstanding schools[30]	No overall grade[30]
21 Mar 2017[31]	Maintained Academy and School Short inspection[31]	No overall grade[31]

Competition to get in

Applications and offers, Year 7

Applications per place: 2.2 Entry Sept 2026[32]
Applications (any preference): 417 Entry Sept 2026[32]
First preferences: 225 Entry Sept 2026[32]
Places offered: 192 Entry Sept 2026[32]
First preferences per place: 1.2 Entry Sept 2026[32]

Earlier years
Entry	Applications	First preferences	Places offered	Per place	First preferences per place
Entry Sept 2025	376[32]	203[32]	173[32]	2.2[32]	1.2[32]
Entry Sept 2024	407[32]	229[32]	198[32]	2.1[32]	1.2[32]
Entry Sept 2023	412[32]	222[32]	190[32]	2.2[32]	1.2[32]
Entry Sept 2022	347[32]	197[32]	184[32]	1.9[32]	1.1[32]

Character & practicalities

Type: Academy converter[1]
Ages: 11–18[1]
Boys / girls: Boys[1]
Admissions: Selective[1]
Sixth form: Yes[1]
Boarding: No boarders[1]
Capacity: 1316[1]
Trust: THE NORTON KNATCHBULL SCHOOL[1]
Local authority: Kent[1]
Website: http://www.nks.kent.sch.uk [1]
District: Ashford [33]
Postcode: TN24 0QJ[1]
URN: 138019[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll: 1289 2024/25[34]
English as an additional language: 17.8% 2024/25[34]
SEN support: 1.4% 2024/25[34]
EHC plan: 0.6% 2024/25[34]
Free school meals in the last 6 years: 10.4% 2024/25[34]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White: 67.1%[35]
Mixed: 7%[35]
Asian: 17%[35]
Black: 8.2%[35]
Any other ethnic group: 0.6%[35]
Unclassified: 0%[35]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

Sources

Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quote
It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: A level and other 16 to 18 results 2020/21. Period 2020/21. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quote
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes were set up to award grades.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
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Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
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Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
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Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2023/24. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
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Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2016/17. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
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Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
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Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.