North Durham Academy

State school · Mixed · ages 11–16County Durham, Stanley DH9school website

Two in three Year 11 leavers stay in education, below the England rate; 2% start an apprenticeship.

Where this school leads
65%

of Year 11 leavers stayed in education · County Durham 81% · England 86% · DfE destination measures, pupils who left in 2023

Knowledge sphere of North Durham Academy: fields of knowledge mapped by the subjects taken here, by ISCED levelLanguage & Communication · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Language & Communication · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 38%Language & Communication · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 33%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Natural Sciences · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 37%Natural Sciences · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 6%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 35%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Health & Safety · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 36%Health & Safety · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Business & Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 3%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 17%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Transversal Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 18%Transversal Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 44%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%LanguageMathsScienceICTEngineeringHealthBusinessLawSocialArtsTransversalGreen
Ofsted
Good
Places
—
Pupils
935
Free school meals
50.6%

Ofsted: Full inspection, 21 June 2022 · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from County Durham’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 1,700 places. Free school meals: pupils eligible, a measure of family income.

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registrations: Stanley School of Technology (URN 114291, until 1 September 2011); Greencroft Business and Enterprise Community School (URN 114292, until 1 September 2011).

After Year 11 · age 16

Where do pupils go at 16?

65%stayed in education after Year 11
This school65%
County Durham81%
England86%

DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 173 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023

Of the 173 pupils who finished Year 11 at North Durham Academy in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 54% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.

Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.

Full breakdown11
MeasureNorth Durham AcademyCounty DurhamEngland
Pupils in the cohort1735,399607,348
Any sustained destination75%89%92%
Stayed in education65%81%86%
— school sixth form10%30%34%
— sixth form college0%4%13%
— further education college54%46%37%
— other education1%1%2%
Apprenticeship2%5%3%
Employment8%3%3%
No sustained destination20%8%6%
Destination unknown6%3%3%
GCSE · Year 11 · 2025

How do GCSE results compare?

39.8Attainment 8 score, out of 90
This school39.8
County Durham44.1
England46.1

Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.

DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 180 pupils in Year 11

51% of pupils here are disadvantaged (England 28%). Disadvantaged pupils here scored 36.2 — above disadvantaged pupils across England (34.9).

32% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (County Durham 42%, England 45%).

Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.

All GCSE measures10
MeasureNorth Durham AcademyCounty DurhamEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)39.844.146.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths32%42%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths51%61%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects7%33%41%
EBacc average point score3.213.754.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort51%32%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils36.235.634.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils43.448.150.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)———
English as an additional language6%4%19%
Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

55.90%of the Key Stage 3 and GCSE curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

Mapped — the share of the 2,029 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.

DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today

Photography stands out at GCSE — 38% of the year group took it, against 6% across England.

Green & Sustainability44%
Language & Communication38%
Natural Sciences37%
Health & Safety36%
Engineering & Manufacturing35%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

GCSE subjects17

Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
Mathematics17899%88%6%22%58%
English Language17899%89%8%20%55%
English Literature17798%86%8%21%63%
Combined Science16089%65%4%9%49%
Geography8145%41%11%25%54%
Photography6838%6%4%19%88%
History6536%41%8%26%46%
Spanish3318%19%24%27%73%
Design and Technology2916%11%14%23%72%
Fine Art2112%9%52%28%71%
Computer Science1911%13%11%30%63%
Biology179%23%18%45%100%
Physics179%23%24%46%88%
Chemistry179%23%24%47%94%
Arabic21%1%—47%—
German11%5%—33%—
Chinese11%1%—75%—
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications9
SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Health Studies43——
Small Business Management35——
Sports Studies31——
Hospitality / Catering Studies30——
Dance: General25——
Computer Appreciation / Introduction24——
Speech and Drama18——
Engineering Studies17——
Speech and Drama10——
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Green & Sustainability54%
Language & Communication51%
Natural Sciences49%
Health & Safety47%
Engineering & Manufacturing40%
Mathematics & Statistics40%
Transversal Skills31%
Arts & Humanities25%
Digital & ICT Skills20%
Law & Public Administration8%
Social & Cultural Skills7%
Business & Administration3%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

fraction 15.9percentage 10.8ratio 10.6gradient 8.8vocabulary 8.6power 7.6reflection 7.5translation 7.4particle model 7.1grammar 7.0equation 6.9root 6.9audience 6.6standard form 6.2energy transfer 6.1area 6.1formulae 6.0context 5.9impact 5.9scale 5.4change of state 5.4evidence 5.3volume 5.1percentage change 5.1

Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.

Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.

Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works

Water industry asset maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, area, unit conversion from Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science and 8 more · jobs: consumer electronics repair technician, industrial electrician, electrician
Process industry manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses pressure, conservation of mass, energy change from Chemistry, Design and Technology, Mathematics and 4 more · jobs: chemical engineering technician, chemical manufacturing quality technician, chemical production manager
ScientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses conclusion, data interpretation, sampling technique from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 3 more · jobs: physicist, analytical chemist, geneticist
More apprenticeships9
Geoscientist (integrated degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses data interpretation, climate change, conduct field work from Biology, Chemistry, Geography and 3 more · jobs: geologist, geological engineer, exploration geologist
Science manufacturing technician 2023Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, graph, pressure from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 2 more · jobs: pharmaceutical engineer, chemical manufacturing quality technician, pharmacy technician
Battery manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses area, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more · jobs: battery test technician
Data technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · digital · uses mean, integer, presentation from Computer Science, English Language, Geography and 3 more · jobs: data analyst, database administrator, data scientist
Non-destructive technologies technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, measurement, data interpretation from Biology, Design and Technology, Geography and 4 more
Water industry network technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses standard form, unit conversion, volume from Chemistry, Design and Technology, Mathematics and 3 more · jobs: sewerage network operative, product quality inspector, sewerage maintenance technician
Production assistant - screen and audioLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses spelling, punctuation, grammar from English Literature, English, Modern Foreign Language · jobs: factory hand, supply chain assistant, management assistant
Junior visual effects - VFX artist or assistant technical director - ATDLevel 4 (higher) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses scale, data collection, colour from Art and Design, Chemistry, Computer Science and 5 more · jobs: 3D modeller, technical director, animation layout artist
Storyboard artistLevel 7 degree apprenticeship · creative and design · uses presentation, interpretation, accuracy from Art and Design, English Language, Geography and 5 more · jobs: storyboard artist
Admissions

How do you get a place?

The last distance at which North Durham Academy offered Year 7 places is not yet on file; it comes from County Durham’s allocation statistics.

  1. 31 OctApply to County Durham in Year 6 for a Year 7 place
  2. 1 MarNational Offer Day
County Durham

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.