North Durham Academy Review 2026: A large local secondary with improving culture and structured support

A secondary academy serving Stanley and surrounding communities, North Durham Academy is a sizeable 11 to 16 setting with a broad intake and a clear focus on steady improvement. Leadership changed in June 2022, when Mark Gray joined as Head Teacher, and the current direction is closely linked to curriculum consistency, calmer classrooms, and rebuilding trust with families.

The most recent full inspection outcome is Good, with Good grades across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

For day to day practicalities, the academy runs a tutor period from 8.30am and lessons finish at 3.00pm. An enrichment block runs from 3.00pm to 4.00pm, which matters for working families and for students who rely on buses.

This is a school that describes its work through the lens of inclusion, progression, and excellence, and it uses those ideas consistently across its personal development offer and expectations. In practice, that translates into a strong emphasis on routines, clear boundaries, and giving students structured ways to contribute, such as a student voice panel and tutor based personal development.

The wider feel is shaped by a deliberate drive to improve behaviour and reduce bullying. Pupils describe a safer environment with clear routes to report worries, including an online reporting button highlighted through official inspection evidence. This is an important cultural marker for a large secondary, because consistency, follow through, and confidence in reporting systems are the foundations that allow learning to take priority.

Transitions are treated as a strategic priority rather than a one off event. External reviewers observed structured transition visits designed to prepare new Year 7 pupils for routines and expectations, which usually signals that leaders recognise the scale of the Year 6 to Year 7 step and want to reduce the risk of early disengagement.

Outcomes at North Durham Academy are best understood as a work in progress rather than a finished picture. On the FindMySchool GCSE measures, the academy is ranked 3,192nd in England for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), and 2nd locally within the Stanley area. That places overall performance below England average in the FindMySchool banding.

Headline indicators reinforce that message. The academy’s Attainment 8 score is 39.8, and its Progress 8 score is -0.43, which indicates that, on average, students made less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally across the GCSE basket.

The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measures suggest breadth remains a challenge for a significant minority. The average EBacc points score is 3.31, and 4.8% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc.

What matters for families is how the school responds to this data. The most recent inspection evidence points to a curriculum that is ambitious, improving, and increasingly consistent in core subjects, with leaders continuing to embed quality across all subject areas. That does not remove the pressure of GCSE outcomes, but it does suggest that the operational focus is on the right levers: teaching consistency, curriculum sequencing, and behaviour that protects learning time.

Parents comparing local secondaries should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view these measures side by side, particularly Progress 8 and Attainment 8, as they often differentiate schools more clearly than a single headline judgement.

Teaching is framed around an ambitious and engaging curriculum, with the clearest strength in how leaders have planned and sequenced learning in core subjects. Formal reviews highlight well thought out curriculum work in English, mathematics, science, and history, with key knowledge identified through collaborative planning, which usually means staff are working from shared assumptions about what must be mastered and when.

A practical classroom feature is the emphasis on literacy and vocabulary. Teachers break down subject specific terms and use recall activities to help pupils retrieve prior learning, which is the sort of routine that benefits students who do not naturally revise or who need more structured reinforcement. If this approach is implemented consistently, it tends to show up later as better extended writing, more accurate use of terminology, and improved performance in longer mark questions.

Reading is treated as a cross curricular responsibility. Pupils encounter a variety of texts across subjects, and there is targeted support for pupils who are still at early stages of reading, including phonics and one to one help. For a secondary academy, that is a meaningful commitment because it acknowledges that literacy gaps do not disappear at age 11, and it creates a clearer pathway for catch up without stigmatising students.

Support for students with special educational needs and disabilities is described as strengthened, with staff receiving detailed pupil information to reduce barriers to learning. The key risk, again drawn from formal review, is inconsistency in how effectively that information is applied over time, which is an area families may want to explore during a visit through concrete examples of how classroom adaptations are monitored.

As an 11 to 16 school, North Durham Academy’s main transition point is post GCSE. The most useful indicator here is the careers education emphasis: students receive careers guidance that meets the Baker Clause requirements, including access to information about technical pathways and apprenticeships. That matters locally because it signals a commitment to multiple strong routes, not only traditional sixth form pathways.

A specific example referenced through external review is a trip to Derwentside College, which suggests that leaders are actively building familiarity with further education routes and trying to make post 16 progression feel tangible for students who may not already have that visibility at home.

For families, the right question is not only where students can go, but how the school prepares them to choose well. Look for evidence of structured guidance in Year 9 options, interview support, apprenticeship awareness, and realistic next step planning linked to attendance and attainment patterns.

Year 7 admissions in the normal round are coordinated through Durham County Council rather than handled directly by the academy. For September 2026 entry, the published County Durham timeline states that applications open on 1 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025, with national offer day on 2 March 2026.

The academy also signals an open door approach to visits, positioning ordinary school days as the best way to understand routines, expectations, and student experience.

If you are assessing realistic chances across multiple schools, it is worth using the FindMySchool Map Search to check travel distance and practical commute time, even when distance is not the formal oversubscription tie break. Daily travel can shape attendance, punctuality, and participation in enrichment.

Pastoral care is anchored in consistent behaviour expectations and clear systems for reporting concerns. Pupils describe feeling safe and knowing who to speak to, and the safeguarding judgement in the most recent inspection confirms that arrangements are effective.

Behaviour systems appear to be used as a tool to protect learning rather than simply punish. Leaders apply a behaviour policy when expectations are not met, while also recognising that some pupils need extra support to manage behaviour. A key practical improvement noted is fewer instances of poor behaviour leading to suspension, alongside a pastoral team focus on improving regular attendance.

Personal development is delivered through tutor sessions, assemblies, and a life curriculum, with a stated emphasis on respect and responsible decision making. For parents concerned about bullying or anxiety, the most important evidence to look for is speed of response, consistency of follow up, and whether students can name trusted adults.

Enrichment runs from 3.00pm to 4.00pm, making it a daily extension of the school day rather than an occasional add on. For many students, that extra hour is where friendships form across classes and year groups, and where school starts to feel like a place they belong, not only a timetable they endure.

The enrichment offer includes both structured clubs and practical interest based activities. Specific examples include a board game club and lunchtime music jamming sessions, which are useful signals because they cater for students who are not motivated primarily by competitive sport.

The published enrichment timetable also lists clubs such as Tik Tok Cooking Club, Darts Club, and Year 7, 8 and 9 Dance Club, alongside a Planning, Running and Hosting a Charity Event Club. On Thursdays, the programme includes girls’ football clubs for Year 7 and for Years 8 and 9. These details matter because they show a mix of creative, practical, social, and physical options that can pull in students with very different confidence profiles.

For students who benefit from longer term goals, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is offered from Year 9 (Bronze) and Year 10 (Silver). That is often a strong fit for students who need a structured route to build resilience and self management, especially when combined with supportive adult mentoring.

The school day begins with tutor time at 8.30am, and the last taught lesson finishes at 3.00pm. Enrichment typically runs until 4.00pm.

Transport is a significant practical factor locally. The academy sets out a Year 7 arrangement in which students continue to receive free transport, and for Years 8 to 11 there is a concessionary seat option at a reduced rate of £0.75 per day, administered through the local authority process. Families should check how eligibility and seat availability apply to their specific route, because transport policies can change and are reviewed.

• Progress measures need improvement. A Progress 8 score of -0.43 indicates that students, on average, make less progress than peers with similar starting points across England. Families should explore how subject intervention, attendance support, and revision structures are targeted at pupils who fall behind.

• EBacc outcomes point to uneven breadth. An average EBacc points score of 3.31 and 4.8% achieving grades 5 or above across the EBacc suggests that the combination of subjects and grades is not yet working for a large proportion of the cohort. Ask how options and guidance are structured to balance ambition with realistic success.

• Transport costs and logistics can affect participation. With enrichment running to 4.00pm, late buses, concessionary seat arrangements, and any daily transport charge can shape which students stay for clubs, and how easy it is to build a consistent routine.

North Durham Academy is a large, local secondary that has stabilised its culture and systems in recent years, with leadership and curriculum work pointing in the right direction. The inspection profile supports a picture of safer routines, calmer lessons, and a clear approach to personal development. Best suited to families who want an inclusive community school with structured support, a growing enrichment programme, and practical post 16 guidance, while recognising that headline GCSE performance measures still indicate meaningful work to do.