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Schools in Sunderland

117 open schools · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · best primary schools · best secondary schools

Sunderland has 115 state schools: 81 primary, 16 secondary, 2 all-through, 7 nursery. Between them they teach around 41,234 pupils. 91 have enough published data for a score, averaging 5.4 out of 10, and 9 score 8 or above.

11 have a sixth form. 72 take children from age three or under. 21 have a religious character, which usually means the school sets its own admissions criteria rather than the council's. How the score works.

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Sunderland covers several towns — jump straight to the schools in yours.

Houghton le Spring 22 schools Washington 24 schools
Academy 360 Sunderland · Good Albany Village Primary School Washington · Good Argyle House School Sunderland Barbara Priestman Academy Sunderland · Good Barmston Village Primary School Washington · Good Barnes Infant Academy Sunderland · Good Barnes Junior School Sunderland · Good Barnwell Academy Houghton le Spring · Outstanding Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy Sunderland · Not judged Bernard Gilpin Primary School Houghton le Spring · Outstanding Bexhill Academy Sunderland · Outstanding Biddick Academy Washington · Good Biddick Primary School Washington · Good Blackfell Primary School Washington · Good Broadway Junior School Sunderland · Good Burnside Academy Inspires Houghton le Spring · Good Castle View Enterprise Academy Sunderland · Good Castletown Primary School Sunderland · Good Christ's College Sunderland · Good City of Sunderland College Sunderland · Outstanding Columbia Grange School Washington · Outstanding Dame Dorothy Primary School Sunderland · Good Diamond Hall Infant Academy Sunderland · Not judged Diamond Hall Junior Academy Sunderland · Good Dubmire Primary Houghton le Spring · Not judged Easington Lane Primary School Houghton le Spring · Good East Herrington Primary Academy Sunderland · Good East Rainton Primary School Houghton le Spring · Good Education and Services for People with Autism Sunderland · Good English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland · Good Eppleton Academy Primary School Houghton le Spring · Not judged Farringdon Academy Sunderland · Good Farringdon Community Academy Sunderland · Requires improvement Fatfield Academy Washington · Good Fulwell Infant School Academy Sunderland · Not judged Fulwell Junior School Sunderland · Outstanding George Washington Primary School Washington · Good Gillas Lane Primary Academy Houghton le Spring · Good Grange Park Primary School Sunderland · Good Grangetown Primary School Sunderland · Good Grindon Infant School Sunderland · Good Harry Watts Academy Sunderland · Outstanding Hasting Hill Academy Sunderland · Good Hetton Academy Houghton le Spring · Not judged Hetton Lyons Nursery School Houghton Le Spring · Good Hetton Lyons Primary School Houghton le Spring · Good Hetton Primary School Houghton le Spring · Good Highfield Academy Sunderland · Good Hill View Infant Academy Sunderland · Good Hill View Junior Academy Sunderland · Good Holley Park Academy Washington · Good Hopespring Sunderland · Good Houghton Le Spring Nursery School Houghton le Spring · Outstanding Hudson Road Primary School Sunderland · Good Hylton Castle Primary School Sunderland · Good Hylton Red House Nursery School Sunderland · Outstanding John F Kennedy Primary School Washington · Good Kepier Houghton le Spring · Good Lambton Primary School Washington · Good Marlborough Primary School Washington · Not judged Mill Hill Nursery School Sunderland · Outstanding Mill Hill Primary School Sunderland · Good Monkwearmouth Academy Sunderland · Good New Penshaw Academy Houghton le Spring · Good New Silksworth Academy Infant Sunderland · Good New Silksworth Academy Junior Sunderland · Good Newbottle Primary Academy Houghton le Spring · Good North View Academy Sunderland · Good Northern Saints Church of England Academy Sunderland · Good Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw Houghton le Spring · Not judged Oxclose Community Academy Washington · Not judged Oxclose Nursery School Washington · Outstanding Oxclose Primary Academy Washington · Good Pennywell Early Years Centre Sunderland · Not judged Plains Farm Academy Sunderland · Good Portland Academy Sunderland · Good Red House Academy Sunderland · Good Redby Academy Sunderland · Good Richard Avenue Primary School Sunderland · Good Rickleton Primary School Washington · Not judged Ryhope Infant School Academy Sunderland · Good Ryhope Junior School Sunderland · Good Sandhill View Academy Sunderland · Good Seaburn Dene Primary School Sunderland · Good Shiney Row Primary School Houghton le Spring · Good South Hylton Primary Academy Sunderland · Good Southmoor Academy Sunderland · Good Southwick Community Primary School Southwick · Good Springwell Village Primary School Gateshead · Good St Aidan's Catholic Academy Sunderland · Not judged St Anne's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School Sunderland · Good St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy Sunderland · Good St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington · Good St Benet's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School Sunderland · Good St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland · Not judged St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland Sunderland · Not judged St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington · Outstanding St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland · Good St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington · Good St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth Sunderland · Good St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Sunderland · Good St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton Houghton le Spring · Good St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Ryhope Sunderland · Good St Paul's CofE Primary School Sunderland · Outstanding St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington Washington · Good Sunningdale School Sunderland · Outstanding Thorney Close Primary School Sunderland · Good Thornhill Academy Sunderland · Good Town End Academy Sunderland · Good Trinity Academy New Bridge Sunderland · Not judged Usworth Colliery Nursery School Washington · Good Usworth Colliery Primary School Washington · Good Valley Road Academy Sunderland · Good Venerable Bede Church of England Academy Sunderland · Not judged Washington Academy Washington · Requires improvement Wessington Primary School Washington · Good Willow Wood Community Primary School Sunderland · Good

Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding

These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.

Thornhill Academy Good · ×0.61 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Ryhope Infant School Academy Good · ×0.68 1st prefs/place (2026/27) New Penshaw Academy Good · ×0.72 1st prefs/place (2026/27) St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Ryhope Good · ×0.73 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Farringdon Academy Good · ×0.78 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Newbottle Primary Academy Good · ×0.78 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Shiney Row Primary School Good · ×0.81 1st prefs/place (2026/27) English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Good · ×0.84 1st prefs/place (2026/27) St Anne's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School Good · ×0.85 1st prefs/place (2026/27) New Silksworth Academy Infant Good · ×0.89 1st prefs/place (2026/27)

How places are allocated in Sunderland

Primary schools: Explicit: council abolished the catchment system in 2003 in favour of a primary-to-secondary 'cluster' system plus pure distance; 'does not operate a catchment area system.' (source)

Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.

Key dates

Entry yearEventDate
Sept 2028 Application deadline 2027-10-31
Sept 2028 Primary application deadline 2028-01-15
Sept 2028 Offer day 2028-03-01
Sept 2028 Primary offer day 2028-04-17
Sept 2027 Application deadline 2026-10-31
Sept 2027 Primary application deadline 2027-01-15
Sept 2027 Offer day 2027-03-01
Sept 2027 Primary offer day 2027-04-16
Sept 2026 Application deadline 2025-10-31 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary application deadline 2026-01-15 (passed)
Sept 2026 Offer day 2026-03-02 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary offer day 2026-04-16 (passed)

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