Bishop Barrington Academy
Bishop Auckland, DL14 6LA · County Durham · secondary school
Check the area around this school
24th of 30 secondary schools in County Durham we can score. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.
Narrow the comparison to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds and it does better still — 3.6/10 against 315 of them, against 1.8/10 nationally. Both figures are results only, without the inspection grade. A lower figure here means a stronger comparison group, not a weaker school.
How this is worked out
| Measure | Percentile | Weight | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ofsted | 52 | 35% | 1.84 |
| Grade 5+ English & maths 2025/26 | 25.3 · 8 | 30% | 0.25 |
| Progress 8 2023/24 | -0.27 · 30 | 25% | 0.74 |
| Attainment 8 2025/26 | 39.0 · 15 | 10% | 0.15 |
Each measure is read as a position among comparable schools, so a school in the middle of the country scores 5. Full method.
Bishop Barrington Academy overview
How it's doing
The school is rated Good by Ofsted following an inspection in 2024-09. In 2024/25, 24.2% of pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in English and maths. Attainment 8 was 39.4, compared to the national median of 44.6. Progress 8 was -0.27 in 2023/24, indicating pupils did worse than those nationally who started from the same place. Narrow the comparison to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds and it does better still (4.0 out of 10 against similar schools, 1.8 out of 10 against all schools).
Beyond the classroom
Pupils can join an enrichment club and participate in the Elite Sports Academy.
Getting in
The published school roll is 599 pupils against a stated capacity of 814. These whole-school figures do not establish entry-year vacancies or the likelihood of an offer. Confirm entry-year availability and admissions criteria with the school or local authority.
Worth asking on a visit
How does the school support pupils to close the gap between their current attainment and the national median? What specific support is available for students aiming to improve their Progress 8 scores?
What Ofsted said about Bishop Barrington Academy
Overview
Bishop Barrington Academy is rated ‘Good’ across all inspection categories. The report highlights a school where pupils are ‘welcoming’ and demonstrate ‘positive conduct’, benefiting from a significantly strengthened curriculum and effective support for those with special educational needs.
Strengths
- Leaders have ‘redesigned and significantly strengthened the curriculum’, ensuring pupils have an ‘increasingly detailed understanding’ of subjects.
- Teachers are ‘well-trained’ with ‘strong knowledge’ of their subjects, using effective strategies to help pupils recall important content.
- Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are ‘well-supported’ and ‘achieve well’ within the ambitious curriculum.
- The school offers a ‘comprehensive range of opportunities’ to enrich education, including clubs that interest a ‘wide range of pupils’.
- Effective careers education has led to a ‘significant increase’ in pupils progressing to appropriate education or training.
Areas to improve
- Teachers must ‘routinely use information from assessment well to inform their teaching’ to address knowledge gaps more quickly.
- The school needs to ensure ‘all pupils benefit from the school’s improved curriculum’ by further reducing regular absences, as too many pupils currently miss important learning.
Safeguarding
The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’.
Results over time
Attainment 8, the years we hold.
| Year | Attainment 8 |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 41.8 |
| 2024/25 | 39.4 |
| 2025/26 | 39.0 |
| England | 44.9 |
Source: DfE Explore Education Statistics. “England” is the median of the 3,682 state schools in England we hold a 2025/26 figure for — a school-level median, not the DfE's pupil-weighted national figure.
Your offer chance
—Based on official applications/offers, distance and catchment where we have it. Bands only — never a percentage.
Sibling, faith, looked-after and other criteria can override distance. Always confirm with the school or local authority.
Next dates
- Secondary application deadline31 Oct 2026
- Secondary National Offer Day1 Mar 2027
- Secondary application deadline31 Oct 2027
- Secondary National Offer Day1 Mar 2028
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