Biddick Academy Review 2026: A community secondary with a growing enrichment offer

Biddick Academy is an 11 to 16 mixed secondary in Washington, serving families across the Sunderland City area. It is part of North East Learning Trust, with a clear focus on readiness for GCSE study and confident transition into post 16 pathways.

Academic outcomes sit around the middle of England schools on the FindMySchool GCSE measures, with a local position that suggests it competes well within Washington. For many families, the more practical question is fit: a structured secondary with a strong pastoral thread, specialist support for some students with autism, and a club programme that includes sport, creative arts and academic drop ins.

This is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. Day to day costs are more likely to be around uniform, trips, and optional activities, rather than compulsory charges. (Details vary by year group and choices.)

The school’s own messaging puts emphasis on aspiration and personal development, with a tone that is direct and pupil focused. The headteacher, Miss K Morris, sets an expectation of purposeful learning and a supportive culture, which is important context for families weighing up behaviour, belonging, and day to day routines.

There is also a distinctive inclusion feature: the Unity Centre is the school’s specialist resourced provision for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder, and the report evidence suggests it is designed to support participation in the wider life of the academy rather than separating students from it. For families considering secondary options where autism support is a deciding factor, that detail matters, because resourced provision usually comes with a different rhythm to the day, specialised staff, and more personalised planning.

Culture is not only about policies, it is also about what students can actually do with their time. The published clubs programme includes options that range from competitive sport through to performing arts and homework style support, which tends to signal an intent to keep students engaged beyond timetabled lessons.

On the FindMySchool GCSE measures (based on official data), Biddick Academy is ranked 2,309th in England for GCSE outcomes and 2nd locally in Washington. That sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), which is a useful shorthand for parents comparing broadly similar state secondaries. (FindMySchool rankings are proprietary aggregations of official performance data.)

At GCSE level, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 43.9 and its Progress 8 score is -0.25. In plain terms, a negative Progress 8 figure indicates that, on average, pupils make below average progress compared with pupils nationally who had similar starting points at the end of primary school. The EBacc average point score is 3.82, and 14% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above in the EBacc measure.

For families, the implication is not that outcomes are fixed, but that the school’s impact can vary by subject and cohort, and that you should look for clear evidence of strong teaching routines, consistent behaviour expectations, and targeted support for literacy, numeracy, and option choices from Year 9 onwards.

A useful strength, evidenced in formal reporting, is the intent to build knowledge systematically, including deliberate support for subject vocabulary and opportunities to revisit prior learning. That approach tends to benefit students who need clarity and structure, particularly when they are moving from Key Stage 3 foundations into GCSE content where the pace increases and gaps become harder to close.

There is also a clear thread around reading support for pupils who struggle with fluency and comprehension. In a secondary school context, the impact is often practical: students who read more confidently are better able to access exam questions, handle longer texts in English and humanities, and manage independent revision.

Where the school is still developing, the evidence points to the importance of consistency. When behaviour expectations and routines are applied unevenly across classes, it tends to show up as a difference in how calm lessons feel and, ultimately, how much learning time is protected. That is an area families should probe carefully during open events and conversations with staff.

Biddick Academy is an 11 to 16 school, so the key destination is what happens after GCSEs rather than university progression from an in house sixth form. The formal reporting describes an established careers programme intended to support informed choices about post 16 routes, including technical education and apprenticeships, alongside more traditional academic pathways at sixth form colleges.

For families, the practical implication is to start thinking about post 16 early, ideally during Year 9 options and again in Year 10, so that subject choices align with what a student may want to pursue at 16. A strong careers programme can help, but students also benefit from a clear sense of what local sixth forms and colleges require for entry to popular courses.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Sunderland City Council. For September 2026 entry, the online application window is published as opening on 08 September 2025 and closing on 31 October 2025, with offers released on 02 March 2026.

As an academy, the school also publishes its own admissions policy and oversubscription criteria, including the published admission number (PAN) for the relevant year of entry. The policy for 2025 entry states a Year 7 PAN of 224. There is also a published consultation proposing a reduction in the Year 7 PAN to 180 with effect from September 2026, which is an important detail for families planning ahead because it can change the competitiveness of entry year on year.

If you are comparing multiple schools, it is worth using FindMySchool’s Map Search to check travel time and practical routes, and the Local Hub Comparison Tool to benchmark outcomes and context side by side. Even when admissions are coordinated by the local authority, day to day feasibility, journey time, and sibling logistics often decide whether a school truly works.

Open evenings appear to run on an annual pattern in September, with the most recently advertised Year 5 and 6 open evening listed on Wednesday 24 September 2025. Treat this as a pattern indicator rather than a promise of identical dates each year, and always confirm the next open event on the school’s website.

Pastoral effectiveness in a secondary setting usually comes down to predictable routines, a clear behaviour policy that staff apply consistently, and timely support when issues arise. The formal reporting indicates that behaviour has improved over time with reductions in serious incidents and suspensions, although the message for parents is that experience can still vary between classes depending on consistency in practice.

The Unity Centre is particularly relevant in this section. Specialist resourced provision for pupils with autism can be a meaningful advantage when it is genuinely integrated into wider school life, because it supports both learning access and social participation. Families exploring this route should ask how places are allocated, what the day looks like for students who use the provision, and how communication with parents is structured.

The latest Ofsted inspection in November 2021 judged the school Good overall.

The same inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The enrichment programme is one of the clearer “show me” indicators of a school’s breadth, because it demonstrates what students can do beyond the timetable. The published clubs list includes activities such as Girls Football, Basketball, Netball, Dodgeball and Fitness, alongside Dance in the Dance Studio and music drop in sessions.

There are also academic and curriculum linked options. GCSE Art support sessions appear in the programme, as does Chess and a KS4 Computing or vocational drop in clinic. This kind of provision often matters most in Years 10 and 11, when independent practice and small gaps in understanding can compound quickly if students have nowhere to go for help beyond the classroom.

For pupils who take on responsibility, structures such as School Council can provide a practical leadership pathway. In many schools, leadership roles can be the bridge for quieter students to build confidence and develop a sense of ownership of their environment.

The school publishes that the site opens at 8:00am and closes at 4:30pm, and transition materials indicate that the school day begins at 8:30am.

Transport information includes scholar bus services with morning arrivals around 8:05 to 8:10 and departures listed at 15:10 on the published timetable. Families should validate current routes and operators before relying on them for planning, as these can change by academic year.

As this is a secondary with no nursery provision and no sixth form, the practical focus is typically on Year 6 transition, start of day logistics, and after school enrichment availability rather than wraparound care in the primary sense.

• Progress measures. A Progress 8 score of -0.25 indicates below average progress from starting points. Families may want to ask how the school targets improvement in core subjects, and how it supports pupils who need accelerated catch up.

• Consistency across lessons. Formal reporting suggests behaviour and classroom calmness can vary depending on the class and the staff member. For many students, consistency is the difference between steady progress and a patchier experience.

• Changing admission numbers. The published consultation proposes a reduction in Year 7 PAN to 180 from September 2026. If implemented, this can increase competition for places and may affect the likelihood of securing a place for some families.

• No in house sixth form. Post 16 choices will involve moving on to a sixth form or college. Families who prefer a continuous 11 to 18 pathway should factor that transition into their planning.

Biddick Academy is a state secondary where the offer is broader than results alone. The combination of structured curriculum intent, a specialist autism resourced provision, and a published programme of clubs that includes sport, dance, music and academic support gives it a clear shape.

It best suits families seeking a local Washington secondary with a strong inclusion feature and a practical enrichment programme, and students who benefit from clear routines and accessible support. The key decision point is whether the school’s approach to consistency and day to day behaviour management aligns with what your child needs to learn well.