SCHOOL PROFILE

Parkside Academy

Secondary Academy converter URN 137903
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 900 Published school capacity
Capacity used 92.6% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

19 September 2023
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 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

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 833 833 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 395 47.4% of pupils
Male pupils 438 52.6% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

43.5%
18.7 pts above England
School 43.5%
County Durham 32.2%
North East 32.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

0.8%
19.5 pts below England
School 0.8%
County Durham 4.7%
North East 10.0%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.4%
0.6 pts below England
School 0.4%
County Durham 0.5%
North East 0.9%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
95.6%
796
African
0.8%
7
Any other Mixed background
0.7%
6
Unclassified
0.7%
6
Any other White background
0.4%
3
Chinese
0.4%
3
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 14.4% 120 of 833 pupils
6.4 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 14.4%
County Durham 22.4%
North East 22.6%
England 20.8%
SEN support 11.8% 98 pupils
England 14.8% 3.0 pts below
EHC plans 2.6% 22 pupils
England 6.0% 3.4 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 32
Moderate learning difficulty 26
Speech, language & communication 21
Social, emotional & mental health 19
Autistic spectrum disorder 16
Multi-sensory impairment 4

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

46.9 7.7 pts above England
School 46.9
County Durham 38.9
North East 36.8
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 56.3% England 36.0% 20.3 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 69.0% England 51.4% 17.6 pts above England
EBacc entry 32.2% England 30.6% 1.6 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.01 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.01 · 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

11.46%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

5.24 pts higher than England
School 11.46%
County Durham 6.04%
North East 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

32.13%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

16.32 pts higher than England
School 32.13%
County Durham 15.78%
North East 16.04%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

5.79%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

3.99 pts higher than England
School 5.79%
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

92.6% 0.2 pts above England
Parkside Academy
92.6%
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