Wellfield School Review 2026: A large 11 to 16 academy with strong local roots

A school approaching its centenary tends to know what it stands for. Opened on 22 March 1930, Wellfield’s story is closely tied to Wingate, and recent years have added a modern academy chapter to that history.

Today it serves students aged 11 to 16, with a published capacity of 1,011. It is part of New College Durham Academies Trust, and the head teacher is Miss Louise Colquhoun.

Academically, the school sits squarely in the mainstream of England performance. On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (built from official data), it is ranked 1,760th in England and 1st locally in its immediate area, a profile that points to secure, steady results rather than extreme selectivity at either end.

For families, the practical appeal is clear. The school day starts with tutor time at 8.35am and the final lesson runs until 3.15pm, which suits working routines, and the extra-curricular programme is designed around a late bus departure at 4.10pm on activity days.

Wellfield’s public-facing language is purposeful. The school places its motto, We GO the Extra Mile, at the centre of how it describes expectations and community culture, and it reinforces this through a values set that is unusually specific for a secondary: Respectful, Ambitious, Collaborative, Inclusive, and Resilient.

That values framework matters because it provides parents and students with a shared vocabulary for behaviour, effort, and how the school wants young people to treat one another. In practice, it tends to show up most clearly in consistency. A student who is struggling, academically or socially, benefits when staff are using common language and common routines across year groups.

The school’s long local history is not handled as nostalgia alone. The 95th anniversary programme, including a commemorative service at Durham Cathedral and an exhibition, signals an institution that actively builds continuity between past students and current families. For some children, that sense of belonging makes the transition into secondary feel less anonymous, particularly in a larger intake.

Leadership visibility is also part of atmosphere. The school identifies Miss Louise Colquhoun as head teacher across official listings and its own site, and she features prominently in public events and communications, which is often a reliable proxy for coherent direction.

The headline performance picture is best understood as solid and stable. Wellfield’s FindMySchool GCSE outcomes ranking places it in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). In other words, most schools do not outperform it by a wide margin, and it is not positioned as an elite outlier either.

Ranked 1,760th in England and 1st in Wingate for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), Wellfield sits as a dependable local option for families who value consistency and clear expectations.

Looking at the supporting indicators, the school’s Progress 8 score is 0.3, which indicates students make above-average progress from their starting points across eight subjects. Attainment 8 is 48.9, giving a sense of overall grades across the core basket of GCSE subjects and approved equivalents.

The English Baccalaureate profile is more mixed, and parents should read it carefully. The average EBacc points score is 4.17, which is a useful proxy for performance in the EBacc entry itself. The percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc subjects is recorded as 14.4%, which suggests that EBacc outcomes are an area where many students may be working towards secure passes rather than high-grade mastery across the full suite.

In day-to-day terms, this combination often fits students who respond well to structured teaching and steady incremental improvement. It is also a useful reminder that strong progress and broad attainment can coexist with targeted areas for development in particular subject pathways.

Wellfield’s curriculum messaging emphasises breadth and a guided approach to choices. The options process is framed around steering students into subject combinations that match needs and aspirations, with most students taking eight or nine GCSE or equivalent subjects at Key Stage 4.

That emphasis on guidance matters. In many comprehensive secondaries, the biggest determinant of outcomes is not raw ability but whether a student is placed on a course that fits how they learn and what keeps them engaged. Wellfield’s published approach explicitly encourages students to consult tutors, teachers, and families before selecting pathways, which is a sensible safeguard against options being chosen purely on peer influence.

Teaching beyond the classroom is built into the model through a broad enrichment framework. Rather than presenting extracurricular as an optional add-on, the school links it to competitions, visiting speakers and masterclasses, subject workshops, and peer mentoring, alongside revision and examination support for older year groups.

This structure is particularly relevant for students who thrive when learning is varied across the week. A well-run enrichment programme can also help Year 11 manage pressure, because it creates planned, timetabled support rather than leaving revision to ad hoc after-school arrangements.

Wellfield is an 11 to 16 school, so the key destination point is post-16 transition. The school sets out its careers education, information, advice and guidance in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks, and it presents the common routes clearly: A-level and vocational study, apprenticeships, and employment combined with accredited training.

For families, the practical implication is that careers guidance is not just Year 11 assembly content. A Gatsby-aligned model usually indicates a structured programme of employer encounters, workplace experiences, and informed guidance discussions over time, which helps students avoid last-minute decision making.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is another meaningful indicator of destination readiness. It is explicitly positioned as valued by colleges, universities and employers, and the school explains the Bronze framework in a way students can understand: regular commitment across physical, skill and volunteering sections, followed by an expedition.

Because the school does not publish destination percentages in the data provided here, parents should treat open evenings, careers events, and direct questions to the careers lead as the best route to understanding typical post-16 patterns, including local sixth forms and college pathways.

Year 7 admissions are administered through Durham County Council rather than directly by the school. For families applying for September 2026 places, the application window opened on 1 September 2025 and closed at midnight on Friday 31 October 2025, with National Offer Day on 2 March 2026.

Because those dates have already passed, the practical point for current Year 5 and Year 6 families is pattern rather than the exact calendar. County-coordinated secondary admissions typically follow the same annual rhythm. Parents should plan on early autumn registration, an end-of-October deadline, and early March offers, then check the council timeline each September for confirmed dates.

For in-year admissions (moving during the school year), the school uses a trust in-year admission form and sets out a clear process for submission.

Open events are handled in a flexible way. The admissions page positions visits as available during a normal school day rather than only at a set open evening, which can be helpful for families who want a realistic sense of lessons and routines.

Safeguarding is presented as a whole-school responsibility, with named safeguarding leads and an emphasis on staff training and clear reporting procedures. The school identifies Mr M Patrick as Designated Safeguarding Lead, supported by a safeguarding officer, and sets out safer recruitment and student support as core elements.

A practical benefit of that clarity is that students and parents know where responsibility sits. In most cases, effective safeguarding culture is less about posters and more about trained adults responding consistently, and the school’s published framework suggests it aims for that operational consistency.

Behaviour is framed through “Behaviour for Learning”, with the student expectations page putting atmosphere and learning focus at the centre of the approach.

Wellfield’s extracurricular offer is best described as programme-led rather than purely club-led. The enrichment page sets out a structure that includes competitions, workshops, speakers and masterclasses, peer mentoring, and dedicated examination support, with sessions running from 3.15pm to 4.10pm and a late bus designed around that finishing time.

Where this becomes tangible is in named, real-world activities. Darts club is explicitly promoted as a weekly after-school fixture, and the school links participation to external competition exposure, which is often a strong motivator for students who do best with clear goals and public milestones.

Trips also feature prominently. The school highlights an overseas South Africa trip focused on cultural exchange and community service, alongside an annual ski trip that is presented as both sport and community-building. Trips like these can be powerful for confidence and independence, but parents should expect additional costs and should ask early about eligibility, payment schedules, and financial support where available.

Creative and technical pathways are not treated as minor options. Recent communications reference subject spotlights that include Fine Art, Textiles, Photography, Engineering, Construction, and Hospitality and Catering. For students whose strengths are practical, design-based, or performance-based, this breadth can be the difference between a school experience that feels purely academic and one that feels personally relevant.

Finally, Duke of Edinburgh provides a structured, nationally recognised framework for service, skill development, and expedition. It is a reliable marker of students gaining independence in a supervised, staged way, especially for those who may not naturally volunteer without a defined structure.

The school day begins with tutor time at 8.35am and runs through to the end of Lesson 5 at 3.15pm. This structure supports clear routines, with breaks and lunches split by key stage.

For transport, the school directs families to Durham County Council because home to school transport is administered by the council, including eligibility rules based on walking routes and distance thresholds.

Wellfield does not operate its own nursery provision or sixth form, so wraparound care is not typically structured in the same way as a primary school breakfast club and after-school club. Families who need supervised care beyond the end of the school day should focus on the late bus and the timetable of activities, and confirm current arrangements directly.

• Inspection recency. The most recent full inspection judgement available is from June 2018, when the predecessor school was graded Good, and the school converted to academy status in 2023. Families should use visits and current documentation to understand what has changed since that point.

• No on-site sixth form. Post-16 transition is a deliberate decision point at 16. This suits students ready for a fresh start at college or a sixth form elsewhere, but it also means families should engage early with careers guidance and local options.

• Extracurricular timing and transport. Activities are designed around a 4.10pm late bus. That is helpful for participation, but families should still check how it aligns with local routes and home travel time, particularly in winter.

• EBacc outcomes. The EBacc attainment indicators suggest this is not the strongest area for every cohort. Students aiming for an EBacc-heavy profile should ask how the school supports language pathways, humanities choices, and higher-grade EBacc performance.

Wellfield School is a large, established 11 to 16 academy that combines steady academic performance with a strong emphasis on values, enrichment, and practical pathways. It will suit families who want a clear structure, above-average student progress, and a school culture that links achievement to ambition and resilience, without relying on selection or niche specialism. The key choice is what happens at 16, so the best fit is for students who are comfortable planning ahead for college or sixth form destinations, supported by a structured careers programme.