Barbara Priestman Academy
Meadowside, Sunderland, SR2 7QN
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE ASCENT ACADEMIES' TRUST
- Acting Head Teacher
- Mr Graeme Musson
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Ascent Academies' Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Sunderland Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 178
- Pupils on roll
- 189
- URN
- 138530
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 03339991453
About this school
Barbara Priestman Academy is a special academy in Sunderland. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 189 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 27 March 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 26 | 24 | 27 |
| Attainment 8 score | 3.1 | 3.5 | 2.7 |
| Progress 8 score | -1.96 -2.50 to -1.41 | -1.91 -2.50 to -1.32 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 4% | 0% | 3.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 4% | 4.2% | 3.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
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 Barbara Priestman 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 | Sunderland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.1 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 3.5 | 38.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 2.7 | 38.3 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 13.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 13.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 170 |
| 2023/24 | 172 |
| 2024/25 | 190 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 59.12%
- English as an additional language
- 1.1%
- Overall absence
- 13.55%
- Persistent absence
- 42.96%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Consilium Evolve0.2 miles
Academies · Sunderland
-
Argyle House School0.3 miles
Independent schools · Sunderland
-
Ashbrooke School0.6 miles
Special schools
-
University of Sunderland0.7 miles
Universities · Sunderland
-
Thornhill Park School0.7 miles
Special schools · Sunderland
Other schools in Sunderland
- 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
- Sunningdale School Special schools
- 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 Barbara Priestman Academy teach?
- Barbara Priestman Academy teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a special school in Sunderland.
- Who is the acting head teacher of Barbara Priestman Academy?
- The acting head teacher of Barbara Priestman Academy is Mr Graeme Musson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Barbara Priestman Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Barbara Priestman 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 Barbara Priestman Academy?
- Barbara Priestman Academy has 189 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is Barbara Priestman Academy full?
- Barbara Priestman Academy has capacity for 178 pupils and 189 on roll (106%), 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 Barbara Priestman Academy a faith school?
- No. Barbara Priestman Academy has no designated religious character.
- Who runs Barbara Priestman Academy?
- Barbara Priestman Academy is part of THE ASCENT ACADEMIES' TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Barbara Priestman Academy have?
- The schools register lists Barbara Priestman Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Barbara Priestman Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 3.1 in 2022/23 and 2.7 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Barbara Priestman Academy's absence rate?
- Barbara Priestman Academy's overall absence rate is 13.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Barbara Priestman Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Barbara Priestman 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.