The Duston School, Northampton

Ofsted's report card from its 10 March 2026 inspection grades The Duston School on 8 areas: 8 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Consistently high-quality teaching throughout the school ensures that pupils achieve well."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Attendance is a priority for the school."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders have established an ambitious curriculum that begins in the early years and runs all the way through to the sixth form."

Early years - Strong standard. "The curriculum for the early years has been well designed to give children the knowledge and skills that they need to be ready for key stage 1."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Robust systems are in place to identify when any pupil may have barriers to their learning."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders have an accurate and detailed understanding and knowledge of the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school places a high priority on pupils' personal development and wellbeing."

Post 16 provision - Strong standard. "Leaders place aspiration at the heart of the study programmes in the sixth form."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to refine and embed their identified priorities for improvement in order to drive a transformational impact for all pupils".

From the headteacher's welcome: "It is a real privilege to welcome you to The Duston School. A school is much more than a building. It is a community of children, families and staff, working together to create a place where young people feel safe, valued, supported and inspired to achieve their very best. At The Duston School we believe that every child matters."

In 2026, pupils at The Duston School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.3 in West Northamptonshire and 47 across England.

44% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in West Northamptonshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 50 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.14: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 32.1, against 50.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 18 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Statistics and History.

For September 2026 entry, 313 families put The Duston School as their first choice and 562 named it as one of their preferences, for 262 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 75 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Duston School are Northampton International Academy (2.4 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 38.9); Malcolm Arnold Academy (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.4); Campion School (3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.8); and Abbeyfield School (3.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.6).

The Duston School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

The Duston School is run by its own single-school academy trust.

160 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Duston School (as of April 2026): 79% would recommend the school, 78% say their child is happy there and 52% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (84%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (52%).

Of the 263 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 46% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 93 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 65% went on to university or other higher education, 5% to apprenticeships and 15% into work. 20% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

15.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 366 pupils (17.7%) received SEN support and 37 (1.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Northampton Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Duston School (opposite), 130 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 156 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Northamptonshire (90), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Duston School issued 317 suspensions, 15.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Duston School are Duston Eldean Primary School (0.5 miles), St Luke's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles), Hopping Hill Primary School (0.7 miles) and Millway Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.