Ferryhill School Review 2026: Community secondary with strong pastoral systems and a clear push on routines

A school’s direction often becomes clearest in the small, repeated habits that shape the day. Here, the emphasis on structured routines, a consistent approach to behaviour, and practical support for learning gaps sits alongside an intent to widen horizons through trips and clubs. Ferryhill School is an 11 to 16, mixed secondary in County Durham, and it operates as an academy within Eden Learning Trust.

Leadership is an important part of the picture. The Executive Headteacher is Mr K Brennan, and the school states he has been in post since September 2015; the Head of School is Ms K McCluskey. The latest inspection evidence available on the Ofsted site is from September 2022, and it describes the school as Good.

For families, the key headline is fit. This is a school that appears most suited to students who benefit from clear expectations, direct teaching, and steady pastoral oversight, and to parents who want a local, state-funded option with an organised approach to safety, attendance, and post-16 guidance.

The school frames its identity through a simple trio of values, integrity, creativity, excellence, and those words recur across communications in ways that suggest they are more than decorative branding. The emphasis on routines is also visible in how the school communicates expectations to families, including practical site guidance and orderly end-of-day systems intended to keep students safe around buses and vehicles.

Day-to-day culture, as described in the most recent inspection report, points to respectful relationships and a generally settled feel. Students are described as believing bullying is not a significant issue, and where it arises, staff act quickly; the report also notes mature behaviour at social times and little disruption in lessons. That matters because it shapes learning time. In schools with weaker corridors and classrooms, teachers spend disproportionate energy resetting conduct; here, the evidence suggests calmer classrooms give more space for teaching and for students who need help catching up.

Pastoral systems also appear deliberate. The school identifies a designated safeguarding lead within its senior team and sets out mechanisms for students seeking help outside the normal school day, which signals an attempt to make safeguarding accessible rather than purely procedural. In practice, families considering the school should still ask how concerns are triaged, how quickly the team responds, and how the school works with external agencies, but the baseline structures are clearly signposted.

It is also worth noting the trust context. Being part of Eden Learning Trust provides a framework for governance and policy, and it can support shared training, common systems, and cross-school collaboration. The impact varies by school, but as a parent you can reasonably expect a degree of standardisation in safeguarding, professional development, and accountability.

On outcomes, the most useful way to read the data is to separate attainment from progress. Attainment 8 is recorded at 42.8, and the Ebacc average point score is 3.22; the school’s Progress 8 figure is -0.37. (These are official measures used nationally to summarise GCSE outcomes and progress from starting points.)

In the FindMySchool ranking for GCSE outcomes, Ferryhill School is ranked 3109th in England and 1st in the local area for its category. This places performance below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on that measure.

What does that mean for families? A below-average Progress 8 score can indicate that some students, on average, do not make as much progress as similar students nationally. It does not mean individual students cannot thrive, and it does not cancel out strengths elsewhere. It does, however, make it sensible to ask targeted questions if your child needs rapid academic acceleration, such as: how the school sets students in key subjects, how intervention is deployed, and how teaching quality is checked subject by subject.

The most recent inspection text helps explain where improvement work is focused. Leaders are described as having strengthened curriculum ambition and introduced approaches such as “flashback” tasks and vocabulary focus. In some subjects, planning is described as precise and sequenced; in others, the mapping of what students should know is said to be less exact, and this is identified as a key improvement priority. For parents, that is a practical prompt: ask which subjects are currently strongest, how consistency is being improved across departments, and what the school expects students to do at home to retain knowledge.

A recurring thread in the inspection narrative is the idea of teaching that builds knowledge step by step, with classroom techniques designed to retrieve prior learning and identify gaps. The significance is not the jargon; it is the implication. For students who have missed learning, struggle with confidence, or arrive mid-year, an approach that repeatedly revisits key ideas can reduce cognitive overload and prevent students falling behind silently.

The school also appears to use targeted support rather than leaving students to sink or swim. Leaders are described as having made extensive use of tutoring programmes to address knowledge gaps from national lockdowns, alongside a stated focus on support for struggling readers. For a family, the useful follow-up is to understand how this works now: whether tutoring is aimed at Year 11, how students are selected, and how impact is measured.

Subject-level enrichment provides additional colour. The English department describes participation in Book Buzz for new Year 7 students, support for writing competitions, and plans for reading club activity, which suggests a conscious attempt to build reading identity rather than treating literacy as purely remedial. That is an important differentiator for students whose confidence grows when school celebrates reading and writing publicly.

Special educational needs and disability support is also described with a mainstream-first intent. The inspection report states that students with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the same curriculum as peers and are generally supported effectively, with many teachers adapting teaching to include them; it also flags that monitoring systems could be strengthened further by involving all relevant stakeholders. In practice, this is a mixed but useful picture: inclusive intent, a base level of effective classroom adaptation, and an explicit area for further improvement in consistency and oversight.

Where Students Go Next

Ferryhill School is an 11 to 16 school, so the key transition is post-16. The most recent inspection evidence describes careers provision as a strength, with leaders ensuring pupils receive the advice needed to make choices about their futures and checking that pupils have a secure destination after they leave. For families, that implies the school takes the “what next” conversation seriously rather than treating Year 11 as a cliff edge.

The practical question is how that guidance is delivered. A strong careers programme usually includes at least three elements: structured information about local sixth forms and colleges, exposure to employers and training routes, and timely individual guidance for students who are undecided or at risk of disengaging. Since the inspection evidence indicates parent involvement is part of the approach, parents should expect communication that explains post-16 routes clearly, especially for vocational and mixed programmes.

If your child has a specific ambition, such as STEM routes, creative industries, or apprenticeships, ask how the school supports that pathway in Years 9 to 11. The best indicator is not a glossy prospectus line but the presence of real encounters, talks, trips, and advice that connects subject choices to local and national opportunities.

Admissions are coordinated through the local authority, and the school highlights that there is no automatic transfer from primary to secondary, families must apply for a place. For Year 7 entry in September 2026, the school states that applications open from 02 September 2025, with a closing date of Thursday 31 October 2025.

Demand data suggests meaningful competition. For the relevant entry route, there were 194 applications and 121 offers recorded, with the school marked as oversubscribed and a subscription proportion of 1.6 applications per place. This is not “impossible to get in”, but it does mean families should treat deadlines as non-negotiable, and should be realistic if they are applying late or making a speculative choice without a clear admissions rationale.

Because the last distance offered is not available here, it is not sensible to assume that living nearby will be sufficient. Families who need precision should rely on the local authority’s published admissions guidance for the year of entry, and where possible use a distance-checking tool to understand how their home address might be prioritised in a typical year.

Pastoral strength is where the inspection evidence is particularly reassuring. Students are described as feeling listened to, and as believing they are treated fairly; the report also highlights work on respectful relationships, consent, tolerance, and preparing pupils for life in society. These are not abstract themes, they shape how safe students feel to report concerns and how confidently they can focus on learning.

Safeguarding practice is described as attentive to vulnerable pupils, with leaders monitoring needs and ensuring families receive support. Beyond formal safeguarding, the school also signposts a route for students who feel unsafe outside school hours, indicating an attempt to extend support beyond the bell, albeit within stated limits.

Attendance expectations are framed explicitly as part of both learning and safeguarding, which aligns with best practice. For parents, the most useful step is to ask how the school handles anxiety-related absence, medical needs, and reintegration, since the tone and skill of this work can shape outcomes significantly for vulnerable students.

A school’s extracurricular offer is most meaningful when it is specific and easy for students to access. Here, published club information shows a mix of social, academic, and identity-based provision.

For example, newsletters list Board Games Club, Reading Club, Film Club, and a KS3 Science Club, alongside sport options such as football and dodgeball, plus tennis. Earlier published club information also lists a Pride Club, Choir, Drama Club, an After School History Club, and a STEAM Club that includes hands-on investigations such as chromatography and forces.

The implication for families is twofold. First, students who are not immediately sport-focused still have structured spaces to belong, which can be crucial in Years 7 and 8 when friendships are settling. Second, the presence of academic clubs like science and reading supports the idea that learning is not confined to lessons, and it offers another route for students to develop confidence, especially those who thrive when learning is practical or discussion-based.

Trips also feature as a vehicle for broadening experience. The inspection report notes that leaders provide cultural experiences such as theatre and museum trips, and the school’s communications reference visits and events that build wider-world knowledge. For students from families less able to organise enrichment independently, school-led trips can be a genuine equity lever.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for normal secondary costs such as uniform, equipment, and optional trips.

Published communications indicate the school day runs during the hours of 8:30am to 3:00pm, and the school also uses a “Period 6” extension for some after-school learning and activities. Transport is unusually well signposted for a school site. The school states it provides free late buses that leave at 3:45pm and 3:55pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, subject to availability and change through the year.

For families who drive, the school’s practical guidance focuses on safety around the bus lanes and pedestrian access. If your child will be dropped off or collected by car, it is worth reading those instructions closely and planning a routine that avoids last-minute congestion.

• Progress measures are below average. The Progress 8 score of -0.37 suggests that, on average, outcomes are behind similar students nationally. Families should ask how subject-by-subject consistency is being improved, and what targeted support looks like for students who need to accelerate.

• Oversubscription is real. With 194 applications and 121 offers recorded for the entry route, admission can be competitive. Make the application on time and treat the October deadline as fixed.

• Some improvement work is about consistency. Inspection evidence points to stronger curriculum sequencing in some subjects than others, and leaders are expected to tighten that precision across the board. That may matter more for students who need very clear structure to keep up.

• After-school access depends on transport planning. The late bus offer is helpful, but it runs on specified days and is subject to availability. Families should ensure students have a clear plan for getting home after clubs or Period 6 sessions.

Ferryhill School offers a clear set of routines, active pastoral oversight, and a practical approach to students’ next steps after Year 11. The latest inspection evidence supports a picture of calm behaviour, respectful relationships, and careers guidance that is taken seriously. Academic outcomes, however, indicate that the school has work to do on progress and on subject-to-subject consistency, and families should probe that carefully.

Best suited to students who respond well to clear expectations and structured support, and to families seeking a local, state-funded secondary with visible safeguarding and an accessible club programme.