SCHOOL PROFILE

North Durham Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 136745
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,700 Published school capacity
Capacity used 55.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

21 June 2022
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 sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority County Durham
Trust CONNECT MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 935 935 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 439 47.0% of pupils
Male pupils 496 53.0% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

50.6%
25.8 pts above England
School 50.6%
County Durham 32.2%
North East 32.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

3.6%
16.7 pts below England
School 3.6%
County Durham 4.7%
North East 10.0%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.5%
0.5 pts above England
School 1.5%
County Durham 0.5%
North East 0.9%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
93.0%
870
African
1.7%
16
Any other White background
1.5%
14
Any other ethnic group
0.9%
8
Any other Black background
0.4%
4
White and Asian
0.4%
4
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 19.7% 184 of 935 pupils
1.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 19.7%
County Durham 22.4%
North East 22.6%
England 20.8%
SEN support 16.5% 154 pupils
England 14.8% 1.7 pts above
EHC plans 3.2% 30 pupils
England 6.0% 2.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 60
Moderate learning difficulty 39
Autistic spectrum disorder 22
Speech, language & communication 22
Specific learning difficulty 13
No specialist assessment yet 10

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

39.8 0.6 pts above England
School 39.8
County Durham 38.9
North East 36.8
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 31.7% England 36.0% 4.3 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 51.1% England 51.4% 0.3 pts below England
EBacc entry 6.7% England 30.6% 23.9 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.21 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.43 · 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

12.23%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

6.01 pts higher than England
School 12.23%
County Durham 6.04%
North East 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

36.77%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

20.96 pts higher than England
School 36.77%
County Durham 15.78%
North East 16.04%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

7.26%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

5.46 pts higher than England
School 7.26%
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

55.0% 37.3 pts below England
North Durham Academy
55.0%
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.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information