St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy
Ridge Terrace, Bedlington, NE22 6ED
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Suzanne Lewis-Dale
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Sponsor
- Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Blyth and Ashington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,140
- Pupils on roll
- 994
- URN
- 141814
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01670822795
About this school
St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Bedlington. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 994 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
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 201 | 201 | 187 |
| Attainment 8 score | 45.0 | 44.7 | 41.3 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.13 -0.33 to +0.06 | -0.17 -0.37 to +0.03 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 35% | 38.8% | 31% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 61% | 62.7% | 56.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 26% | 20.4% | 10.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
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 St Benet Biscop Catholic 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 | 45 | 35.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 44.7 | 36.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 41.3 | 35.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 11.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,117 |
| 2023/24 | 1,106 |
| 2024/25 | 1,056 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy compares
St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy ranked 12th of 16 secondary schools in Northumberland for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 43% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 41.3 | 11.1% | 31.1% | 994 | — |
| Bedlington Academy | 47.4 | 8.2% | 31.9% | 822 | 1.7 miles |
| The Blyth Academy | 49.2 | 10.4% | 50.4% | 766 | 2.3 miles |
| Ashington Academy | 47.1 | 8% | 35.5% | 964 | 3.3 miles |
| NCEA Duke's Secondary School | 32 | 13.6% | 49.8% | 980 | 3.8 miles |
| Cramlington Learning Village | 46.7 | 9% | 23.7% | 1,989 | 3.9 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 31.08%
- English as an additional language
- 6.3%
- Overall absence
- 11.1%
- Persistent absence
- 29.6%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bedlington Academy1.7 miles
Secondary · Bedlington
-
The Blyth Academy2.3 miles
Secondary · Blyth
-
Ashington Academy3.3 miles
Secondary · Ashington
-
NCEA Duke's Secondary School3.8 miles
Secondary · Ashington
-
Cramlington Learning Village3.9 miles
Secondary · Cramlington
Other schools in Bedlington
- Bedlington Academy Secondary
- Bedlington Station Primary School Primary
- Bedlington West End Primary School Primary
- Bedlington Whitley Memorial Church of England Primary School Primary
- Meadowdale Academy Primary
- St Bede's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Stead Lane Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy teach?
- St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bedlington.
- Who is the headteacher of St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy?
- The headteacher of St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy is Mrs Suzanne Lewis-Dale, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Benet Biscop Catholic 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 St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy?
- St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy has 994 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy full?
- St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy has capacity for 1,140 pupils and 994 on roll (87%), so it has space against 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 St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Is St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy a selective school?
- No. St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy?
- St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy is part of BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 45 in 2022/23 and 41.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy rank locally?
- St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy ranked 12th of 16 secondary schools in Northumberland for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 43% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy's absence rate?
- St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy's overall absence rate is 11.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Benet Biscop Catholic 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 2 July 2026.