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North Durham Academy

Stanley, DH9 0TW · County Durham · secondary school

Ofsted: Good · 2022 Inspected 3 years ago Mixed Secondary
3.1/10 Below average

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 — 4.1/10 against 297 of them, against 2.0/10 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
MeasurePercentileWeightAdds
Ofsted 52 35% 1.81
Grade 5+ English & maths 2024/25 31.7 · 21 30% 0.62
Progress 8 2023/24 -0.43 · 19 25% 0.48
Attainment 8 2024/25 39.8 · 20 10% 0.20

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. The school is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected in 2022. In 2024/25, 31.7% of pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in English and maths. Attainment 8 was 39.8, compared to the national median of 44.6. Progress 8 was -0.43 in 2023/24, indicating pupils did worse than nationally similar peers. Narrow the comparison to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds and it does better still (4.1 out of 10 against similar schools, 2.0 out of 10 against all schools).

Beyond the classroom. Pupils participate in the Magic of the Musicals Gala.

Getting in. There are 976 pupils in a school with 1700 places, leaving 724 spare places. 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 steps are being taken to improve Progress 8 scores for students from similar backgrounds? How does the school ensure engagement for pupils in its large, under-capacity classes?

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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