St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College
Westway, Peterlee, SR8 1DE
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Frances Cessford
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Sponsor
- Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Easington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,100
- Pupils on roll
- 891
- URN
- 148304
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01915876220
About this school
St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Peterlee. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 891 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, and its latest judgement is set out 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 14 June 2023, 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 | 121 | 140 | 152 |
| Attainment 8 score | 42.6 | 44.0 | 44.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.13 -0.39 to +0.12 | -0.22 -0.45 to +0.02 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 36% | 41.4% | 42.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 58% | 65.7% | 60.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 39% | 37.1% | 48% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
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 Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | County Durham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 42.6 | 39.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 44 | 38 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 44.5 | 38.4 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 918 |
| 2023/24 | 954 |
| 2024/25 | 937 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College compares
St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College ranked 21st of 30 secondary schools in County Durham for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 55% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 10% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44.5 | 9.5% | 36.2% | 891 | — |
| The Academy at Shotton Hall | 52.2 | 7.6% | 32.2% | 1,202 | 0.6 miles |
| Dene Academy | 41.4 | 10.3% | 61.2% | 638 | 1.2 miles |
| Easington Academy | 51.8 | 9.6% | 36.9% | 769 | 1.7 miles |
| Wellfield School | 47.8 | 9.8% | 42% | 862 | 2.1 miles |
| St Hild's Church of England School | 34 | 13.7% | 54.5% | 581 | 5.6 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)
- 36.21%
- English as an additional language
- 6%
- Overall absence
- 9.47%
- Persistent absence
- 28.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Academy at Shotton Hall0.6 miles
Secondary · Peterlee
-
Dene Academy1.2 miles
Secondary · Peterlee
-
Easington Academy1.7 miles
Secondary · Peterlee
-
Wellfield School2.1 miles
Secondary · Wingate
-
St Hild's Church of England School5.6 miles
Secondary · Hartlepool
Other schools in Peterlee
- Dene Academy Secondary
- Easington Academy Secondary
- The Academy at Shotton Hall Secondary
- Horden Nursery School Nursery
- Rosemary Lane Nursery School Nursery
- Acre Rigg Academy Primary
- Acre Rigg Infant School Primary
- Cotsford Primary School Primary
- Dene House Primary School Primary
- Easington CofE Primary School Primary
- Easington Colliery Primary School Primary
- Howletch Lane Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College teach?
- St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Peterlee.
- Who is the headteacher of St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College?
- The headteacher of St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College is Mrs Frances Cessford, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, 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 St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College?
- St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College has 891 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College full?
- St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College has capacity for 1,100 pupils and 891 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 St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College a faith school?
- Yes. St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Is St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College a selective school?
- No. St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College part of an academy trust?
- St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College is part of BISHOP CHADWICK 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 Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 42.6 in 2022/23 and 44.5 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 Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College compare with other schools in County Durham?
- St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College ranked 21st of 30 secondary schools in County Durham for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 55% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 10% 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 Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College's absence rate?
- St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College's overall absence rate is 9.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College'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.