Academy converter

Hummersknott Academy

Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth formDarlington, North East · Darlington DL3 8ARTrust: Advance Learning PartnershipSchool website
Pupils on roll
1,215of 1,200 places
Free school meals
24.6%
Year 11 cohort 2025
241
Ofsted
Report card, 3 February 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Strong standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Expected standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Hummersknott School and Language College (URN 114323, until 1 July 2011).

What the data says

Hummersknott Academy has no sixth form. Of the 241 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 54% moved to a sixth form college, 35% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.

Sixth form colleges are the main next step: 54% of leavers went to one, roughly three times the England rate of 13%.

Design and Technology is unusually popular at GCSE: 54% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.

GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 47.8 against 46.1 across England and 44.3 in Darlington, with 57% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).

Where pupils went after Year 11

Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Darlington and England.

Hummersknott Academy
Darlington
England
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureHummersknott AcademyDarlingtonEngland
Pupils in the cohort2411,148607,348
Any sustained destination95%93%92%
Stayed in education93%87%86%
— school sixth form3%12%34%
— sixth form college54%31%13%
— further education college35%42%37%
— other education2%2%
Apprenticeship2%4%3%
Employment1%3%3%
No sustained destination3%6%6%
Destination unknown1%1%3%

GCSE results 2025

MeasureHummersknott AcademyDarlingtonEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)47.844.346.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths57%46%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths74%65%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects47%36%41%
EBacc average point score4.243.834.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort22%28%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils33.331.334.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils51.749.450.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)
English as an additional language5%9%19%

Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.

Subjects taken at GCSE

Entries in 2025 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
Mathematics240100%88%14%22%77%
English Language240100%89%15%20%77%
English Literature23698%86%17%21%82%
Combined Science18476%65%11%9%66%
Design and Technology13154%11%23%23%80%
Spanish10443%19%21%27%81%
French8937%18%10%29%54%
Religious Studies7431%31%27%32%70%
Geography6728%41%31%25%82%
History5523%41%29%26%71%
Chemistry5121%23%31%47%90%
Physics5121%23%29%46%92%
Biology5121%23%27%45%82%
Business Studies5121%18%22%20%67%
Physical Education4820%11%25%24%85%
Food Preparation and Nutrition2912%8%24%21%59%
Art and Design2812%7%29%24%75%
German2611%5%4%33%38%
Computer Science2510%13%20%30%80%
Drama208%7%15%27%85%
Photography177%6%29%19%100%
Music62%5%17%33%100%
Arabic10%1%47%
Japanese10%0%53%
Portuguese10%0%50%
Turkish10%0%71%

Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Health Studies39
Sports Studies32
Computer Appreciation / Introduction10
Music performance: Group5

Other secondary schools in Darlington

Carmel College

Academy converter · sixth form · 1,367 pupils

90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.5

Haughton Academy

Academy converter · 854 pupils

85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.0

Hurworth School

Academy converter · 621 pupils

84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.1

Longfield Academy

Academy sponsor led · 660 pupils

84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.8

Polam Hall School

Free schools · 842 pupils

85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.6

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.