SCHOOL PROFILE

The Maplesden Noakes School

Secondary Academy converter URN 137833
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,500 Published school capacity
Capacity used 94.5% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

1 May 2024
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Kent
Trust THE MAPLESDEN NOAKES SCHOOL
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,418 1,418 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 726 51.2% of pupils
Male pupils 692 48.8% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

23.7%
1.1 pts below England
School 23.7%
Maidstone 21.6%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

16.4%
3.9 pts below England
School 16.4%
Maidstone 16.4%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

2.7%
1.7 pts above England
School 2.7%
Maidstone 1.5%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
73.3%
1,039
Any other White background
8.4%
119
Any other Mixed background
3.2%
45
Unclassified
2.8%
39
Any other ethnic group
2.7%
38
African
1.6%
22
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 15.6% 221 of 1,418 pupils
5.2 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 15.6%
Maidstone 20.0%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 14.0% 198 pupils
England 14.8% 0.8 pts below
EHC plans 1.6% 23 pupils
England 6.0% 4.4 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 53
Specific learning difficulty 42
Moderate learning difficulty 34
Autistic spectrum disorder 25
No specialist assessment yet 22
Speech, language & communication 22

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

39.6 0.4 pts above England
School 39.6
Maidstone 43.9
South East 38.5
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 28.4% England 36.0% 7.6 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 58.2% England 51.4% 6.8 pts above England
EBacc entry 10.3% England 30.6% 20.3 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.35 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.55 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

9.07%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.85 pts higher than England
School 9.07%
Maidstone 6.60%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

26.21%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

10.40 pts higher than England
School 26.21%
Maidstone 17.53%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.85%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.05 pts higher than England
School 3.85%
Maidstone 2.03%
South East 1.93%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

94.5% 2.2 pts above England
The Maplesden Noakes School
94.5%
Maidstone
96.8%
South East
95.0%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information