Astor Secondary School
Academy converter · sixth form · 732 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 27.9
Academy converter
The Norton Knatchbull School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,348of 1,316 places
- Free school meals
- 8.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 208
- Ofsted
- Good, 13 December 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Norton Knatchbull School (URN 118838, until 1 April 2012).
What the data says
Of the 187 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Norton Knatchbull School in 2023, 80% stayed on in The Norton Knatchbull School’s own sixth form (Kent average 56%), 14% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 67.3 against 46.1 across England and 46.7 in Kent, with 91% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%) — as a selective grammar school, The Norton Knatchbull School admits pupils by test at 11, which drives these figures.
Among the 154 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 64% went to university (Kent 39%, England 37%), and 19% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Design and Technology is unusually popular at GCSE: 56% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Kent and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Norton Knatchbull School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 187 | 17,954 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 97% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 95% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 80% | 56% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 14% | 28% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 4% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 2% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Norton Knatchbull School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 154 | 14,947 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 64% | 39% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 19% | 20% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 18% | 30% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 15% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Norton Knatchbull School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 67.3 | 46.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 91% | 47% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 97% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 99% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 6.52 | 4.18 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 13% | 25% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 60.0 | 32.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 68.4 | 51.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 17% | 12% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Literature | 208 | 100% | 86% | 36% | 21% | 95% |
| Mathematics | 208 | 100% | 88% | 63% | 22% | 99% |
| English Language | 208 | 100% | 89% | 42% | 20% | 97% |
| Geography | 133 | 64% | 41% | 54% | 25% | 99% |
| History | 133 | 64% | 41% | 45% | 26% | 93% |
| Chemistry | 121 | 58% | 23% | 73% | 47% | 99% |
| Physics | 121 | 58% | 23% | 70% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 121 | 58% | 23% | 62% | 45% | 99% |
| Design and Technology | 116 | 56% | 11% | 61% | 23% | 98% |
| Spanish | 115 | 55% | 19% | 26% | 27% | 78% |
| French | 90 | 43% | 18% | 18% | 29% | 78% |
| Computer Science | 88 | 42% | 13% | 49% | 30% | 92% |
| Combined Science | 87 | 42% | 65% | 40% | 9% | 95% |
| Physical Education | 78 | 38% | 11% | 29% | 24% | 87% |
| Fine Art | 46 | 22% | 9% | 30% | 28% | 98% |
| Religious Studies | 42 | 20% | 31% | 40% | 32% | 95% |
| Music | 25 | 12% | 5% | 16% | 33% | 76% |
| Drama | 19 | 9% | 7% | 53% | 27% | 100% |
| Polish | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Turkish | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Mathematics FSMQ | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | The Norton Knatchbull School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 262 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 130 | 7,794 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 34.60 | 34.87 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 48 | 37% | 31% |
| Physics | 32 | 25% | 12% |
| Chemistry | 30 | 23% | 17% |
| Business Studies | 28 | 22% | 13% |
| Psychology | 26 | 20% | 23% |
| Geography | 25 | 19% | 10% |
| Biology | 25 | 19% | 20% |
| History | 22 | 17% | 13% |
| English Language and Literature | 20 | 15% | 2% |
| Economics | 19 | 15% | 13% |
| Computer Science | 18 | 14% | 5% |
| Sociology | 17 | 13% | 13% |
| Product Design | 17 | 13% | 2% |
| Classical Civilisation | 15 | 12% | 1% |
| Further Mathematics | 13 | 10% | 5% |
| English Literature | 11 | 8% | 11% |
| Politics | 10 | 8% | 6% |
| Physical Education | 8 | 6% | 3% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 5% | 3% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 10 | 8% | — |
| Computer Science | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Computer Science | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Kent
Aylesford School
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73% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.6
Barton Court Grammar School
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97% stayed in education · Attainment 8 66.4
Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
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95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.0
Borden Grammar School
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94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 63.2
Brockhill Park Performing Arts College
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86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.4
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.