Whitburn Church of England Academy
Whitburn, Sunderland, SR6 7EF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- WHITBURN CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY
- Principal
- Mr John Crowe
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Durham
- Constituency
- South Shields
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,265
- Pupils on roll
- 1,204
- URN
- 136386
- Local authority
- South Tyneside
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01915293712
About this school
Whitburn Church of England Academy is a Church of England secondary academy in Sunderland. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,204 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
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
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 199 | 201 | 201 |
| Attainment 8 score | 51.6 | 48.8 | 51.6 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.17 -0.03 to +0.37 | -0.11 -0.31 to +0.09 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 51% | 39.3% | 50.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 77% | 70.1% | 79.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 19% | 12.4% | 21.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.4 | 4.1 | 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 Whitburn Church of England 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 | South Tyneside average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 51.6 | 37.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 48.8 | 33.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 51.6 | 37.4 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,225 |
| 2023/24 | 1,239 |
| 2024/25 | 1,205 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Whitburn Church of England Academy compares
Whitburn Church of England Academy ranked 1st of 8 secondary schools in South Tyneside for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 80% 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 | 51.6 | 6.2% | 14.1% | 1,204 | — |
| Monkwearmouth Academy | 45.8 | 10.2% | 30.1% | 810 | 1.4 miles |
| Harton Academy | 42.6 | 10% | 35% | 1,599 | 2.3 miles |
| Red House Academy | 44.8 | 10.3% | 56.2% | 432 | 2.8 miles |
| St Wilfrid's RC College | 48.2 | 9.8% | 33% | 1,271 | 3.0 miles |
| Mortimer Community College | 41.9 | 11.4% | 48.7% | 1,139 | 3.1 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
-
Ungraded inspection report15 January 2025
- 12 November 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 14.06%
- English as an additional language
- 1.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.17%
- Persistent absence
- 15.89%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Monkwearmouth Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Sunderland
-
Harton Academy2.3 miles
Secondary · South Shields
-
Red House Academy2.8 miles
Secondary · Sunderland
-
St Wilfrid's RC College3.0 miles
Secondary · South Shields
-
Mortimer Community College3.1 miles
Secondary · South Shields
Other schools in Sunderland
Whitburn Church of England Academy ranks 1st of the 13 ranked secondary schools in Sunderland.
- Castle View Enterprise Academy Secondary
- Farringdon Community Academy Secondary
- Monkwearmouth Academy Secondary
- Red House Academy Secondary
- Sandhill View Academy Secondary
- Southmoor Academy Secondary
- St Aidan's Catholic Academy Secondary
- St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy Secondary
- Thornhill Academy Secondary
- Venerable Bede Church of England Academy Secondary
- Hylton Red House Nursery School Nursery
- Mill Hill Nursery School Nursery
Common questions
- What year groups does Whitburn Church of England Academy teach?
- Whitburn Church of England Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Sunderland.
- Who is the principal of Whitburn Church of England Academy?
- The principal of Whitburn Church of England Academy is Mr John Crowe, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Whitburn Church of England Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Whitburn Church of England 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 big is Whitburn Church of England Academy?
- Whitburn Church of England Academy has 1,204 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Whitburn Church of England Academy full?
- Whitburn Church of England Academy has capacity for 1,265 pupils and 1,204 on roll (95%), 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 Whitburn Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Whitburn Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Durham.
- Is Whitburn Church of England Academy a selective school?
- No. Whitburn Church of England Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Whitburn Church of England Academy?
- Whitburn Church of England Academy is part of WHITBURN CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Whitburn Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 51.6 in 2022/23 and 51.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Whitburn Church of England Academy rank locally?
- Whitburn Church of England Academy ranked 1st of 8 secondary schools in South Tyneside for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 80% 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 Whitburn Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- Whitburn Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Whitburn Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Whitburn Church of England 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.