Bede Academy
Sixth Avenue, Blyth, NE24 2SY
- Phase
- All-through
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Christian
- Trust
- EMMANUEL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION
- Principal
- Mr Shayne Elsworth
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Emmanuel Schools Foundation
- Constituency
- Blyth and Ashington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,780
- Pupils on roll
- 2,030
- URN
- 135619
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01670545111
About this school
Bede Academy is a Christian all-through academy in Blyth. It teaches children aged 3 to 18 and has 2,030 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bede Academy, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 89 | 90 | 85 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 79% | 81% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 89% | 91% |
| Expected standard in maths | 91% | 89% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 82% | 91% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.30 | - | - |
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.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 188 | 213 | 199 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.3 | 46.7 | 48.9 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.35 -0.55 to -0.15 | -0.10 -0.29 to +0.09 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 39% | 51.6% | 47.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 58% | 71.8% | 69.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 38% | 55.4% | 58.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Bede Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Northumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 79% | 54.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 81% | 52.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 56% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | Northumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41.3 | 35.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 46.7 | 36.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 48.9 | 35.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,987 |
| 2023/24 | 2,003 |
| 2024/25 | 2,012 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bede Academy compares
Bede Academy ranked 5th of 16 secondary schools in Northumberland for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 72% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 48.9 | 6.2% | 24.5% | 2,030 | — |
| Kings Priory School | 57.1 | 4.6% | 10.7% | 1,549 | 7.8 miles |
| Excelsior Academy | 33.4 | 10.3% | 72.7% | 1,339 | 12.0 miles |
| Gilbert Ward Academy | — | 26.6% | 70.9% | 83 | 0.3 miles |
| Newsham Primary School | — | 5.1% | 40.4% | 452 | 0.4 miles |
| St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School | — | 5.3% | 39% | 217 | 0.4 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
- 30 April 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report21 June 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 24.5%
- English as an additional language
- 3.6%
- Overall absence
- 6.17%
- Persistent absence
- 13.88%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Kings Priory School7.8 miles
All-through · North Shields
-
Excelsior Academy12.0 miles
All-through · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Gilbert Ward Academy0.3 miles
Free Schools · Blyth
-
Newsham Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Blyth
-
St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Blyth
Other schools in Blyth
Bede Academy ranks 2nd of the 9 ranked primary schools in Blyth.
- Cambois Primary School Primary
- Croftway Academy Primary
- Horton Grange Primary School Primary
- Malvin's Close Academy Primary
- Morpeth Road Academy Primary
- New Delaval Primary School Primary
- Newsham Primary School Primary
- St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School Primary
- The Blyth Academy Secondary
- Gilbert Ward Academy Free Schools
- The Dales School Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does Bede Academy teach?
- Bede Academy teaches children aged 3 to 18. It is an all-through school in Blyth.
- Who is the principal of Bede Academy?
- The principal of Bede Academy is Mr Shayne Elsworth, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bede Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bede Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Bede Academy?
- Bede Academy has 2,030 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 18.
- Is Bede Academy full?
- Bede Academy has capacity for 1,780 pupils and 2,030 on roll (114%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bede Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Bede Academy is designated Christian.
- Is Bede Academy a selective school?
- No. Bede Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Bede Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Bede Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Bede Academy part of an academy trust?
- Bede Academy is part of EMMANUEL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bede Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 79% in 2022/23 and 69% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bede Academy compare with other schools in Northumberland?
- Bede Academy ranked 5th of 16 secondary schools in Northumberland for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 72% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bede Academy's absence rate?
- Bede Academy's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bede Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bede Academy'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 1 July 2026.