OFSTED
17 March 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
21 March 2023
Graded inspection
Requires improvement
Published
22 June 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Local authority
County Durham
Trust
BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,240
1,240 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
630
50.8% of pupils
Male pupils
610
49.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
2.9 pts
below England
School
21.9%
County Durham
32.2%
North East
32.0%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
13.0 pts
below England
School
7.3%
County Durham
4.7%
North East
10.0%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.0 pts
in line with England
School
1.0%
County Durham
0.5%
North East
0.9%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
89.0%
1,103
Any other White background
5.8%
72
African
1.0%
13
Any other Mixed background
0.9%
11
Any other Asian background
0.6%
8
White and Black African
0.6%
8
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
13.6%
168 of
1,240 pupils
7.3 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
3.3 pts
below
England
6.0%
4.0 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
44.9
5.7 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.22 · 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
8.57%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
2.35 pts
higher than
England
School
8.57%
County Durham
6.04%
North East
6.28%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
20.68%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
4.87 pts
higher than
England
School
20.68%
County Durham
15.78%
North East
16.04%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
5.36%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
3.56 pts
higher than
England
School
5.36%
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
85.5%
6.8 pts
below England
St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester
85.5%
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.