Durham Academy
Durham, DH7 7NG · County Durham · secondary school
29th 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 — 4.5/10 against 117 of them, against 1.6/10 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 | 16 | 35% | 0.55 |
| Grade 5+ English & maths 2024/25 | 22.0 · 5 | 30% | 0.16 |
| Progress 8 2023/24 | -0.25 · 31 | 25% | 0.77 |
| Attainment 8 2024/25 | 37.4 · 11 | 10% | 0.11 |
Each measure is read as a position among comparable schools, so a school in the middle of the country scores 5. Full method.
Get to know the school
How it's doing. In 2024/25, 22.0% of pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in English and maths. Attainment 8 was 37.4, against a national median of 44.6. Progress 8 was -0.25 in 2023/24, indicating pupils did worse than those nationally who started from the same place. Ofsted rated the school "Requires improvement" in January 2026. Narrow the comparison to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds and it does better still (4.5 out of 10 against similar schools, 1.6 out of 10 against all schools).
Getting in. The school has 396 pupils in a capacity of 693, leaving 297 spare places. This means the school has real spare room, so a place is likely and classes are smaller than it is built for.
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 actions are being taken to address the "Requires improvement" rating? How do the smaller class sizes resulting from spare capacity impact individual teaching time?
Written by AI from this school's published results, inspection record and its own website — not by Ofsted, the school, or SchoolsGPT staff. Every figure above comes from the sources on this page. Check anything that matters with the school.
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.
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