Overall Oxbridge
#764
5 ranked schools · +150 places vs Eng avg #914 of 1,984
Applications
21
Offers
8
Offer rate38.1%
+15.7 pts vs Eng avgEng avg 22.4%
Granted a town charter in 1179 on the south bank of the River Wear, Sunderland grew from Anglo-Saxon roots that reach back to the founding of St Peter's Church in Monkwearmouth in 674. Once the world's largest shipbuilding town, the city's yards produced a quarter of the world's ships before the trade contracted in the late twentieth century, leaving stretches of former dockland that have since been redeveloped along the riverfront. An automotive plant on the northern fringe now sustains the city's manufacturing tradition. Thornhill and Whitburn add further options near the coast.
Around 277,000 people live across the metropolitan borough, with the Victorian avenues of Ashbrooke widely regarded as one of the city's most school-competitive corners for state places; Moorside and Ryhope, along the southern edge, draw families competing for primary catchments. Sunderland station connects the city to Newcastle and the wider region, with the Tyne and Wear Metro extending light rail services across Wearside.
50
Primary
schools
12
Secondary
schools
3
All-through
schools
1
Post-16
colleges
9
Special
schools
4
Other
schools
Area Performance
Across 69 primary, secondary and sixth-form schools, state and independent. The average Find My School Inspection Score is 7.34/10, -0.07 vs England.
Find My School Inspection Band
Distribution across all Sunderland schools
Sunderland vs England distribution
National Rank
Across all ranked Sunderland schools
top 40% of 14,978
top 40% of 14,978
top 63% of 3,862
top 63% of 3,862
top 62% of 2,555
top 62% of 2,555
Overall Oxbridge
5 ranked schools · +150 places vs Eng avg #914 of 1,984
Applications
21
Offers
8
Oxford
1 ranked schools · -5 places vs Eng avg #253 of 1,198
Applications
7
Offers
3
Cambridge
5 ranked schools · -78 places vs Eng avg #773 of 1,881
Applications
14
Offers
5
2026
Sunderland
2026
Sunderland
2026
Sunderland
Local directory
Browse 66 local profile links across primary schools, secondary schools and sixth forms. Each profile brings together admissions context, performance data, inspection history and school details in one place.
Answer ten quick questions and we’ll match four schools to your child.
Discover schools in neighbouring cities, towns and boroughs.
