Freebrough Academy
Linden Road, Saltburn-By-the-Sea, TS12 2SJ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Michael Garthwaite
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Northern Education Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,000
- Pupils on roll
- 814
- URN
- 147541
- Local authority
- Redcar and Cleveland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01287676305
About this school
Freebrough Academy is a secondary academy in Saltburn-by-the-Sea. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 814 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Freebrough 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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 162 | 141 | 142 |
| Attainment 8 score | 49.9 | 47.3 | 46.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.06 -0.16 to +0.28 | +0.28 +0.05 to +0.52 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 60% | 54.6% | 59.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 76% | 78% | 74.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 56% | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 |
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 Freebrough 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 | Redcar and Cleveland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 49.9 | 38.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 47.3 | 33.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 46.4 | 32.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 11.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 814 |
| 2023/24 | 832 |
| 2024/25 | 821 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Freebrough Academy compares
Freebrough Academy ranked 7th of 10 secondary schools in Redcar and Cleveland for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% 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 | 46.4 | 11.2% | 41.5% | 814 | — |
| Huntcliff School | 49.3 | 8.9% | 31% | 544 | 1.6 miles |
| Outwood Academy Bydales | 46.6 | 6.4% | 22.4% | 832 | 3.6 miles |
| Laurence Jackson School | 47.9 | 7.5% | 26.8% | 1,247 | 4.4 miles |
| Rye Hills Academy | 51.9 | 8% | 31.4% | 763 | 5.1 miles |
| Outwood Academy Redcar | 37.3 | 10.8% | 52.3% | 656 | 5.9 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)
- 41.53%
- English as an additional language
- 0.9%
- Overall absence
- 11.21%
- Persistent absence
- 28.26%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Huntcliff School1.6 miles
Secondary · Saltburn By the Sea
-
Outwood Academy Bydales3.6 miles
Secondary · Redcar
-
Laurence Jackson School4.4 miles
Secondary · Guisborough
-
Rye Hills Academy5.1 miles
Secondary · Redcar
-
Outwood Academy Redcar5.9 miles
Secondary · Redcar
Other schools in Saltburn-by-the-Sea
- Badger Hill Academy Primary
- Handale Primary School Primary
- Hummersea Primary School Primary
- Lingdale Primary School Primary
- Lockwood Primary School Primary
- Oakridge Community Primary School Primary
- Saint Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy Primary
- Saltburn Primary School Primary
- Skelton Primary School Primary
- St Peter's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Staithes, Seton Community Primary School Primary
- Whitecliffe Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Freebrough Academy teach?
- Freebrough Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Saltburn-by-the-Sea.
- Who is the headteacher of Freebrough Academy?
- The headteacher of Freebrough Academy is Mr Michael Garthwaite, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Freebrough Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Freebrough 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 Freebrough Academy?
- Freebrough Academy has 814 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Freebrough Academy full?
- Freebrough Academy has capacity for 1,000 pupils and 814 on roll (81%), 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 Freebrough Academy a faith school?
- No. Freebrough Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Freebrough Academy part of an academy trust?
- Freebrough Academy is part of NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Freebrough Academy have?
- The schools register lists Freebrough Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Freebrough Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 49.9 in 2022/23 and 46.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Freebrough Academy compare with other schools in Redcar and Cleveland?
- Freebrough Academy ranked 7th of 10 secondary schools in Redcar and Cleveland for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% 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 Freebrough Academy's absence rate?
- Freebrough Academy's overall absence rate is 11.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Freebrough Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Freebrough 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 10 July 2026.