OFSTED
11 June 2025
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
Good
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
7 January 2020
Graded inspection
Good
Published
31 January 2020
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Local authority
Darlington
Trust
NORTHERN LIGHTS LEARNING TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
587
587 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
279
47.5% of pupils
Male pupils
308
52.5% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
20.5 pts
above England
School
45.3%
Darlington
28.9%
North East
32.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
8.2 pts
below England
School
12.1%
Darlington
10.6%
North East
10.0%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.4 pts
above England
School
1.4%
Darlington
0.6%
North East
0.9%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
75.5%
443
African
10.9%
64
Any other White background
3.2%
19
Any other Asian background
1.9%
11
Any other Black background
1.5%
9
Any other Mixed background
1.5%
9
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
17.4%
102 of
587 pupils
3.4 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
0.8 pts
below
England
6.0%
2.6 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
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
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
40.0
0.8 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.96 · 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
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
11.36%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
5.14 pts
higher than
England
School
11.36%
Darlington
6.19%
North East
6.28%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
35.52%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
19.71 pts
higher than
England
School
35.52%
Darlington
17.45%
North East
16.04%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
5.95%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
4.14 pts
higher than
England
School
5.95%
Darlington
2.16%
North East
1.83%
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
83.9%
8.5 pts
below England
St Aidan's Church of England Academy
83.9%
Darlington
85.9%
North East
87.2%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.