Bishop Barrington Academy Review 2026: A community-focused 11-16 academy with clear expectations and strong careers guidance

Clear routines and consistent expectations sit at the centre of daily life at Bishop Barrington Academy. The idea of the Barrington way is used to teach students how behaviour and learning choices connect to outcomes, and the most recent inspection describes students as welcoming, with incidents of poor behaviour reduced and infrequent.

This is a state-funded, mixed secondary academy for ages 11 to 16, with a published capacity of 814 and just over 600 students on roll in recent official reporting. The school is part of Advance Learning Partnership, and it opened as Bishop Barrington Academy in September 2021 on the site of its predecessor school.

Leadership has also moved recently. The current headteacher is Mr C. Smith, who is listed across the school website’s leadership information. Government information published for the school records an April 2025 headteacher start date.

The tone is best understood through the school’s emphasis on shared language and routines. RISE values are presented as a common framework for the community, and the Barrington way sits alongside that as a practical guide to expectations in lessons and around site. What that means for families is a school that aims to reduce ambiguity, students are taught what good conduct looks like, and systems are intended to help students recover quickly from poor choices rather than letting issues drift.

Formal assessment and revision structures are also made explicit. The school describes assessment weeks and mock exams as being run in the exam hall under exam conditions, with additional checks happening in classrooms during normal lessons. For many students, that repeated exposure to exam routines can reduce anxiety and improve self-management by Year 11, provided home support is aligned with the timetable.

There is also a clear inclusion strand. The school’s published SEND information lists named contacts and leadership responsibility, and the most recent inspection describes pupils with SEND being well supported, including students in the early stages of learning to read being identified quickly and helped to catch up. The inspection report also records an additionally resourced provision specialising in autism.

History is part of the wider identity, even if it is not used as the main selling point day to day. Bishop Barrington traces its roots back to 1810 and is named after Shute Barrington, Bishop of Durham, who supported education in the area. For many local families, that long-running presence matters less as a heritage point and more as a sign that the school is deeply embedded in Bishop Auckland life.

Bishop Barrington Academy is an 11-16 school, so the key performance picture is at GCSE level.

On the FindMySchool ranking for GCSE outcomes, Bishop Barrington Academy is ranked 3,243rd in England and 4th in the Bishop Auckland area. This is a proprietary FindMySchool ranking based on official data. (FindMySchool dataset, URN 148706)

That England position places the school below England average overall, sitting in the lower band of performance, in line with the bottom 40% of schools in England by this measure. (FindMySchool dataset, URN 148706)

Looking at supporting indicators, the school’s Progress 8 score is -0.27, which suggests that, on average, students made less progress than similar pupils nationally across a basket of GCSE subjects. (FindMySchool dataset, URN 148706) Attainment 8 is 41.8. (FindMySchool dataset, URN 148706) The EBacc average point score is 3.17. (FindMySchool dataset, URN 148706)

How should parents interpret that mix? Two contextual points matter.

First, the June 2024 inspection narrative is explicit that curriculum and delivery have been strengthened over time, and that the stronger curriculum was not fully reflected in earlier published outcomes because the cohort represented in 2023 results did not fully benefit from the newer approach. In practical terms, families should ask what has changed since 2021 and how consistently it is now embedded, particularly in Year 10 and Year 11.

Second, results alone do not explain day-to-day experience. This is a school that uses routine, consistent teaching strategies, and regular revisiting of core content as a deliberate method. For some students, especially those who do best with structure and retrieval practice, that approach can translate into steadier progress over time.

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view GCSE indicators side by side with nearby schools, then test the short list through open events and conversations with subject staff.

The most recent inspection describes teachers as well trained, with strong subject knowledge, and it highlights consistent strategies used to deliver the curriculum, including frequent revisiting of the most important content so that students can recall and apply knowledge later. The implied advantage for students is cumulative learning, where topics are returned to deliberately rather than treated as a one-off unit.

The school’s published approach to assessment supports that picture. Assessment weeks and mock exams are described as taking place under exam conditions, alongside more regular in-class checks. When that is well implemented, it provides two benefits, students experience the discipline of timed work, and teachers have more frequent evidence of gaps that need attention.

Reading and literacy appear to be treated as a whole-school priority rather than something left solely to English. The curriculum pages describe literacy as a foundation skill for access to all subjects, and the school references structured reading programmes, including Accelerated Reader as a research-based approach to encourage independent reading. The school also uses Sparx Reader, which is described as making reading visible to teachers through questions and progress data.

A realistic caveat is also present in the inspection evidence. Where assessment information is not used consistently to adapt teaching, gaps in knowledge are not closed as quickly as they could be. That is a helpful question for prospective parents to raise, especially for students who need rapid correction of misconceptions in maths and science.

Where Students Go Next

With no sixth form on site, transition planning for post-16 choices is a core part of the school’s offer. The careers programme is described as including one-to-one careers information, advice and guidance in Year 9 and Year 11, delivered by two qualified and impartial careers advisers, alongside drop-in sessions at social times.

The school also sets out a steady rhythm of employer engagement and application preparation, including careers fairs, visits to local colleges, talks on apprenticeships, mock interviews, and CV and personal statement workshops. This is not simply an add-on, it is intended to help students make a confident choice between A-level routes, vocational pathways, and apprenticeships.

The published careers information lists a wide local network of post-16 providers that students may consider, including Bishop Auckland College, New College Durham, Durham Sixth Form Centre, St John’s Catholic School and Sixth Form, and other regional options. Since these destinations are not published with student numbers, families should ask what routes were most common last year for students with similar profiles, and how the school supports applications, interviews, and transition.

Bishop Barrington Academy describes Year 7 intake as open access and inclusive, welcoming students of all backgrounds and abilities, and it states that it provides up to 180 places in Year 7 each year. Applications are made through the local authority using the Common Application Form rather than directly to the school, and the school notes that applications for 2026 admissions will open in September 2025.

For timing, the national guidance for secondary applications is that applications usually open on 1 September and close on 31 October. For the 2026 entry cycle, schools in the Durham area publish National Offer Day as Monday 2 March 2026.

Because no verified last-distance figure is published in the supplied dataset for this school, families should avoid relying on informal distance assumptions. If you are making a move, the FindMySchool Map Search is useful for checking proximity to multiple schools and stress-testing a shortlist against real travel routes, particularly where several schools sit within a tight area.

The inspection evidence supports a school that is actively working on behaviour, safety, and belonging. The most recent report records reduced incidents of poor behaviour and points to positive conduct that supports learning. It also confirms that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Support for students with SEND is described as a strength, with staff understanding needs and enabling access to an ambitious curriculum. The additionally resourced provision specialising in autism is also a significant part of the overall inclusion picture, particularly for families seeking a mainstream setting with structured specialist support.

Attendance is the area that families should explore carefully. The inspection report is clear that too many students are regularly absent, and while targeted work is improving the picture, further improvement is needed so that all students benefit consistently from the strengthened curriculum. Parents considering the school should ask how persistent absence is monitored, what early interventions look like, and how families are supported where barriers are practical (transport, health, caring responsibilities) rather than motivational.

The extracurricular offer is positioned as accessible, not just extensive. The inspection report records that the school adjusted timings of the school day so enrichment opportunities are available to more students, and it names a range of clubs including mindfulness, craft club, and sports clubs, with lunchtime clubs and activities used by many students, including disadvantaged pupils. That matters because it reduces the usual barrier where only students with lifts home can participate.

Sport has a more formal pathway for students who want it. The Elite Sports Academy is described as a bespoke support programme selected through an application process and discussions with coaches and teachers, offering an athlete mentor, workshops, kit, and a bespoke Elite Sports curriculum. For ambitious young athletes, the implication is structured help balancing training demands with school commitments.

Facilities support both participation and community use. The school’s hireable facilities list includes grass pitches (11-a-side and 9-a-side), a sports hall configured for activities such as netball, basketball, badminton and 5-a-side football, outdoor netball and tennis courts, and a dance studio used for activities such as judo and jiujitsu. Even for students who are not elite performers, that breadth of space increases the chances of finding an activity that feels like a good fit.

On the creative side, the published music curriculum describes integrated progression across analysis, composition and performance, linking theory to practical knowledge. Combined with the broader literacy and reading emphasis, the wider picture is of a school aiming to strengthen foundational skills while still keeping enrichment visible.

The school day is built around a prompt start. Students are expected to be in school by 8:20, with registration beginning at 8:30, and published day timings show the end of the school day at 3:00pm. The school also describes a Year 11 RISE lesson at 3:00pm on multiple weekdays as part of examination preparation and readiness.

Transport follows the local authority home-to-school transport policy, including free transport to the nearest suitable school where it is more than three miles from home. The school also describes an Arriva 6 free bus pass option for pupils not eligible for free transport, and limited seats on school minibuses, subject to availability.

• Attendance remains a key risk factor. The most recent inspection reports that too many students are regularly absent; families should ask how quickly the school intervenes and what support is offered when barriers are outside the student’s control.

• Outcomes are currently below England average by the FindMySchool measure. The school sits in the lower band of performance nationally for GCSE outcomes, and Progress 8 is negative. Families should discuss how far recent curriculum improvements are now translating into Year 11 results. (FindMySchool dataset, URN 148706)

• Leadership has changed recently. The current headteacher is Mr C. Smith, with an April 2025 start date recorded in government information; prospective parents should ask what the leadership priorities are for the next two years and how these affect teaching consistency.

• Some site information is published through protected pages. A number of school website sections are not publicly accessible through standard browsing, so parents may need to rely more on direct conversations for details such as specific enrichment timetables and some parent event information.

Bishop Barrington Academy offers a structured, community-facing secondary education with a clear language of expectations, strong careers guidance, and a deliberate push to widen access to clubs and lunchtime activities. The school’s direction of travel is shaped by curriculum strengthening since 2021 and a focus on consistent teaching strategies.

It suits families looking for an inclusive 11-16 school where routines are explicit, post-16 planning is taken seriously, and sport can be pursued through both general participation and a more tailored pathway. The key questions to test on a visit are attendance culture, how assessment information is used to close gaps in lessons, and how far the newer curriculum is now shifting GCSE outcomes.