OFSTED
20 January 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
16 March 2022
Graded inspection
Requires improvement
Published
20 June 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Does not apply
Local authority
County Durham
Trust
ADVANCE LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
405
405 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
188
46.4% of pupils
Male pupils
217
53.6% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
34.2 pts
above England
School
59.0%
County Durham
32.2%
North East
32.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
13.9 pts
below England
School
6.4%
County Durham
4.7%
North East
10.0%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
County Durham
0.5%
North East
0.9%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
83.7%
339
Unclassified
6.7%
27
African
2.0%
8
Any other White background
1.7%
7
Indian
1.5%
6
Any other ethnic group
1.0%
4
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
31.9%
129 of
405 pupils
11.0 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
10.4 pts
above
England
6.0%
0.6 pts
above
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
37.4
1.8 pts
below England
Latest published: -0.25 · 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
12.20%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
5.99 pts
higher than
England
School
12.20%
County Durham
6.04%
North East
6.28%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
34.12%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
18.30 pts
higher than
England
School
34.12%
County Durham
15.78%
North East
16.04%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
7.76%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
5.96 pts
higher than
England
School
7.76%
County Durham
1.43%
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
58.4%
33.9 pts
below England
Durham Academy
58.4%
County Durham
86.8%
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.