Sunningdale School
Doxford Park Way, Sunderland, SR3 2PP
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr James Waller
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Houghton and Sunderland South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 160
- Pupils on roll
- 153
- URN
- 108882
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01915280440
About this school
Sunningdale School is a community special school in Sunderland. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 153 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 7 June 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 22 | 15 | 20 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -4.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -5.00 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Sunningdale School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Sunderland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 60.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 63.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 63% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 121 |
| 2023/24 | 135 |
| 2024/25 | 139 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 52.24%
- English as an additional language
- 5.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.59%
- Persistent absence
- 23.62%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Link School0.1 miles
Local authority maintained schools · Sunderland
-
Thornhill Park School0.5 miles
Special schools · Sunderland
-
Barbara Priestman Academy1.2 miles
Academies · Sunderland
-
Consilium Evolve1.4 miles
Academies · Sunderland
-
North View Academy1.4 miles
Academies · Sunderland
Other schools in Sunderland
- Barbara Priestman Academy Academies
- Beacon of Light School Free Schools
- Consilium Evolve Academies
- Education and Services for People with Autism Other types
- Endeavour SR Special schools
- Harry Watts Academy Free Schools
- North View Academy Academies
- Portland Academy Academies
- The Link School Local authority maintained schools
- Thornhill Park School Special schools
- Trinity Academy New Bridge Academies
- Hylton Red House Nursery School Nursery
Common questions
- What year groups does Sunningdale School teach?
- Sunningdale School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a special school in Sunderland.
- Who is the headteacher of Sunningdale School?
- The headteacher of Sunningdale School is Mr James Waller, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Sunningdale School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sunningdale School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Sunningdale School?
- Sunningdale School has 153 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Sunningdale School full?
- Sunningdale School has capacity for 160 pupils and 153 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Sunningdale School a faith school?
- No. Sunningdale School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Sunningdale School have?
- The schools register lists Sunningdale School's special educational needs provision as: SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Sunningdale School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Sunningdale School's absence rate?
- Sunningdale School's overall absence rate is 7.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sunningdale School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sunningdale School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.