Academy converter

Ferryhill School

Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth formCounty Durham, North East · Ferryhill DL17 8RWTrust: Eden Learning TrustSchool website
Pupils on roll
727of 915 places
Free school meals
50.0%
Year 11 cohort 2025
125
Ofsted
School remains Good, 16 September 2022Read the Ofsted report

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Ferryhill Business Enterprise College (URN 114299, until 1 December 2017).

What the data says

Ferryhill School has no sixth form. Of the 134 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 1% moved to a sixth form college, 53% to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.

13% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.

Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 24% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.

GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 41.5 against 46.1 across England and 44.1 in County Durham, with 25% 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 County Durham and England.

Ferryhill School
County Durham
England
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureFerryhill SchoolCounty DurhamEngland
Pupils in the cohort1345,399607,348
Any sustained destination83%89%92%
Stayed in education73%81%86%
— school sixth form18%30%34%
— sixth form college1%4%13%
— further education college53%46%37%
— other education1%1%2%
Apprenticeship4%5%3%
Employment6%3%3%
No sustained destination13%8%6%
Destination unknown4%3%3%

GCSE results 2025

MeasureFerryhill SchoolCounty DurhamEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)41.544.146.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths25%42%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths52%61%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects31%33%41%
EBacc average point score3.213.754.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort39%32%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils33.735.634.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils46.648.150.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)
English as an additional language0%4%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
English Language12499%89%8%20%54%
Mathematics12499%88%6%22%61%
English Literature12398%86%5%21%59%
Combined Science9878%65%0%9%36%
History9374%41%4%26%32%
French4133%18%0%29%49%
Photography3024%6%10%19%80%
Biology2419%23%13%45%92%
Geography2419%41%17%25%46%
Chemistry2419%23%13%47%88%
Physics2419%23%21%46%96%
Drama1310%7%0%27%77%
Fine Art119%9%18%28%64%

Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Small Business Management121
Sports Studies58
Engineering Studies41
Computer Appreciation / Introduction28
Health Studies28
Music performance: Group11

Other secondary schools in County Durham

Consett Academy

Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,493 pupils

86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.2

Dene Academy

Academy converter · 638 pupils

78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.4

Durham Academy

Academy converter · 405 pupils

67% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.4

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.