School profile
The Norton Knatchbull School
Hythe Road, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0QJ
Overview
The Norton Knatchbull School is a state-funded school (academy converter) in Ashford, South East, for pupils aged 11–18. This summary is generated only from official structured fields.
School details
- Official establishment type
- Academy converter
- Establishment group
- Academies
- Phase of education
- Secondary
- Age range
- Ages 11–18
- Gender of entry
- Boys
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Sixth form
- Yes
- School capacity
- 1,316
- Pupils on roll
- 1,348
- URN
- 138019
Admissions
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Local authority
- Kent
- Academy trust or group
- THE NORTON KNATCHBULL SCHOOL
Contact the school or your local authority for catchment and application deadlines.
School places
DfE school capacity survey · May 2025 (2024/25)
- Capacity at survey date
- 1,342
- Pupils on roll
- 1,287
- Unfilled places at survey date
- 55
A dated snapshot from the Department for Education school capacity survey, separate from the school details above. Unfilled places at the survey date do not mean places are currently available for admission. About this data
Official admissions data
Applications & demand
Preferences expressed by families through coordinated admissions, shown over time.
2026/27 admissions · Year 7
- First preferences
- 225
- Total preferences
- 417
- Offers made
- 192
Times the school was named as a family's first preference.
All recorded preference positions for this school.
Offers recorded through coordinated admissions, not physical capacity.
First preferences compared with offers
1.17 first preferences per offer
225 first preferences and 192 offers were recorded for 2026/27.
What does this mean?
This is the Department for Education's own published comparison of first preferences with total offers recorded. It indicates the level of requests made through coordinated admissions. Offers are not necessarily the school's maximum capacity, admissions arrangements vary between local authorities, the figure is not a measure of school quality, and it should not be used on its own to judge the likelihood of gaining a place.
First preferences over time
Latest five available admissions years. Missing years are not estimated.
Admissions history
| Admissions year | First preferences | Total preferences | Offers made |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | 225 | 417 | 192 |
| 2025/26 | 203 | 376 | 173 |
| 2024/25 | 229 | 407 | 198 |
| 2023/24 | 222 | 412 | 190 |
| 2022/23 | 197 | 347 | 184 |
Source: Department for Education · Applications and offers data.
Official performance data
School performance
Official Department for Education results for this school. Results are shown for the academic year they relate to.
2024/25 results
Attainment 8 score
- School
- 67.3
- England
- 47.1
Pupils included: 208
Grade 5 or above in English & maths
- School
- 90.9%
- England
- 46.5%
Pupils included: 208
Grade 4 or above in English & maths
- School
- 97.1%
- England
- 66.4%
Pupils included: 208
Entering the EBacc
- School
- 98.6%
- England
- 41.5%
Pupils included: 208
Progress 8 was not published for 2024/25.
Source: Department for Education · School performance data.
Official inspection data
Ofsted inspections
Inspection information published by Ofsted, shown in Ofsted's own words.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 13 December 2023 · Published 29 January 2024
Original education inspection framework (September 2019 to August 2024)
Overall effectiveness
Good
This is a historical Ofsted judgement given under the previous inspection framework. It is not a School Nest rating.
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Effectiveness of leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding was effective
- Yes
- Sixth form provision (where applicable)
- Good
Other recent inspection activity
These visits do not carry a graded judgement and do not replace the inspection above.
Ungraded inspection
Inspected 20 October 2022 · Published 8 December 2022
Outcome: School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next
Ofsted changed how it inspects and reports on schools in November 2025. Judgements from the previous and current frameworks use different systems and should not be directly compared.
School Nest shows the inspection information Ofsted currently publishes for this school. It is not a complete record of every inspection the school has ever had.
Source: Ofsted · Inspections and outcomes. Official Ofsted page for this school
Location
- Address
- Hythe Road, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0QJ
- Local authority
- Kent
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