SCHOOL PROFILE

Whitburn Church of England Academy

Secondary Academy converter URN 136386
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,265 Published school capacity
Capacity used 95.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

15 January 2025
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Good
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

12 November 2019
Graded inspection Good
Published 3 December 2019
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority South Tyneside
Trust WHITBURN CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,204 1,204 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 629 52.2% of pupils
Male pupils 575 47.8% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

9.1%
15.7 pts below England
School 9.1%
South Tyneside 33.7%
North East 32.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

1.3%
19.0 pts below England
School 1.3%
South Tyneside 7.5%
North East 10.0%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.7%
0.7 pts above England
School 1.7%
South Tyneside 2.4%
North East 0.9%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
92.2%
1,110
Any other Mixed background
1.4%
17
Any other White background
1.1%
13
White and Asian
1.1%
13
White and Black African
0.9%
11
Chinese
0.7%
9
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 16.7% 201 of 1,204 pupils
4.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 16.7%
South Tyneside 24.7%
North East 22.6%
England 20.8%
SEN support 15.5% 187 pupils
England 14.8% 0.7 pts above
EHC plans 1.2% 14 pupils
England 6.0% 4.9 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 61
Specific learning difficulty 44
Autistic spectrum disorder 35
Moderate learning difficulty 17
No specialist assessment yet 13
Physical disability 12

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

51.6 12.4 pts above England
School 51.6
South Tyneside 37.4
North East 36.8
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 50.2% England 36.0% 14.2 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 79.1% England 51.4% 27.7 pts above England
EBacc entry 21.9% England 30.6% 8.7 pts below England
EBacc average point score 4.43 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.11 · 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

6.17%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.05 pts lower than England
School 6.17%
South Tyneside 6.35%
North East 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

15.89%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

0.08 pts higher than England
School 15.89%
South Tyneside 16.60%
North East 16.04%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.84%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.04 pts higher than England
School 1.84%
South Tyneside 1.69%
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

95.2% 2.9 pts above England
Whitburn Church of England Academy
95.2%
South Tyneside
94.1%
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.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information