OFSTED
15 October 2024
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Darlington
Trust
NORTHERN ARCH LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
660
660 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
317
48.0% of pupils
Male pupils
343
52.0% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
14.0 pts
above England
School
38.8%
Darlington
28.9%
North East
32.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
9.5 pts
below England
School
10.8%
Darlington
10.6%
North East
10.0%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.5 pts
above England
School
1.5%
Darlington
0.6%
North East
0.9%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
79.7%
526
African
6.1%
40
Any other White background
3.3%
22
Bangladeshi
2.9%
19
Any other ethnic group
2.0%
13
Any other Mixed background
1.5%
10
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
20.2%
133 of
660 pupils
0.7 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
2.6 pts
above
England
6.0%
3.3 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
42.8
3.6 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.47 · 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
10.01%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
3.79 pts
higher than
England
School
10.01%
Darlington
6.19%
North East
6.28%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
32.86%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
17.04 pts
higher than
England
School
32.86%
Darlington
17.45%
North East
16.04%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
6.00%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
4.19 pts
higher than
England
School
6.00%
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
73.3%
19.0 pts
below England
Longfield Academy
73.3%
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.