School Chooser

Callerton Academy

Secondary · ages 11-16MixedFree school684 pupilsNewcastle-upon-TyneNewcastle upon Tyne
School Chooser Score
6
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 3 to 12
Out of 100. Better than 38% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2024
Attendance86.5%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families59%Far more than most schools
Places516 spare684 pupils, 1,200 places
Pupils per teacher16.2School workforce census
Pupils on roll684Census January 2026

Callerton Academy is a free school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 684 pupils and room for 1,200. About 59 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 6 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 38% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Bedeburn Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE5 4JQ0191 605 3835callertonacademy.org.ukMr Pete Fox headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 23 January 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

0 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

Plenty of spare places479 pupils for 1,200 places, 2024/25
40% full

721 places were empty (60% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 306% since 2021/22.

How places were given out for September 2025.

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Secondary120180LA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll684Census January 2026
Places1,20057% full
Pupils from low-income families59%59% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English20%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%112 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%30 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.523 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils22%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)59%£446,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls382 / 302
White British pupils68%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (51), Autistic spectrum disorder (23), language and communications needs (19), Specific learning difficulty (16), Moderate learning difficulty (15), Other difficulty or disability (9).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025202420232022
Pupils on roll684479359241120
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals59%58%54%53%46%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language20%21%20%25%33%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%12%12%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 86.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance86.5%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school36.9%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils62.62024/25, 2 permanent exclusions
Missed without permission7.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/22England
Sessions missedOverall absence13.5%12.2%10.9%7.9%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.7%4.7%4.4%5.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence7.8%7.5%6.5%2.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence36.9%34.9%36.9%30.4%23.9%
SuspensionsSuspension rate62.635.929.516.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions2220

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers42.1full-time equivalent, 44 people
Pupils per teacher16.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers98%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants13.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£47,240
Teachers who left in the year21%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.32024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£8,489England £7,965. Total £4.1m
Income per pupil£10,029England £8,423. Total £4.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,282England £4,444
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £283k, £591 per pupil. England 10%
Money in against money out+£738kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£8,489spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m29012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate118 per 1,000 people30% higher than the England average
Typical house price£201,000Newcastle upon Tyne
Nearest bus stop130 mNewbiggin Hall Bedeburn Road, 7 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Studio WestStudio schools1.0 miles496No overall grade 20241Compare
Kenton SchoolAcademy1.6 miles1,589No overall grade 20257Compare
Walbottle AcademyAcademy2.0 miles1,722Good 202331Compare
St Cuthbert's High SchoolAcademy2.2 miles1,224Good 202452Compare
Sacred Heart Catholic High SchoolAcademy2.3 miles1,424No overall grade 202483Compare
Excelsior AcademyAcademy2.3 miles1,339Requires improvement 20244Compare
Great Park AcademyFree school2.7 miles614Good 202492Compare
Gosforth Junior High AcademyAcademy2.8 miles695Good 202365Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Callerton Academy with the 45 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats38%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 6 is 5 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 11 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 45 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Callerton Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Kingsmeadow Community SchoolCouncil4.4 miles868Report card 202619Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 6 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 6% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 3 to 12. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.04
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.75
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.41
2024/25; 501 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What pupils do next0%no data
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Callerton Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Callerton Academy scores 6 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 38% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 3 to 12, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Callerton Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Callerton Academy good at its last full inspection on 23 January 2024.

How many pupils does Callerton Academy have?

684 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,200 places, so it is 57% full.

Is Callerton Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 721 places were empty in 2024/25 (60% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Callerton Academy?

Pupils were in school 86.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 37% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Callerton Academy?

The average class had 24.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 22% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Callerton Academy have a sixth form?

No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Bedeburn Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE5 4JQ
Telephone
0191 605 3835
Website
www.callertonacademy.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Pete Fox
Type of school
Free school (Free schools, free schools)
Phase
Secondary school, ages 11-16
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
The Gosforth Federated Academies Limited (6 schools)
Local authority
Newcastle upon Tyne
Ward
Kingston Park South & Newbiggin Hall
Constituency
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2021 (new provision)
URN
148573 · LAESTAB 3914009 · UKPRN 10088743

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from