SchoolFacts.uk

St Aidan's Catholic Academy

Secondary · Sunderland · SR2 7HJ

Data updated

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Outstanding

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: OutstandingBehaviour & attitudes: OutstandingPersonal development: OutstandingLeadership & management: OutstandingSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 18 February 2025

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,057 pupils · 106% of 1,000 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Boys
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
21.2% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
25.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
10% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
0.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.staidanscatholicacademy.co.uk/
URN
139538

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 176 families named it first for 179 Year 7 places, 0.98 first choices per place. Its last Year 7 place offered on distance for 2026 entry went to 4.94 miles; distance decided places in 3 of the 9 years of Year 7 rounds we hold, 2018 to 2026. At its inspection on 18 February 2025 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Outstanding. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 6.2% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.98 first-choice applications per place

179 places offered · 176 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places by distance, last offered at 4.94 miles for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Last child offered a place under the distance criterion (2026 entry) lived within 4.94 miles

measurement method not stated by the council.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

123 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
51.2
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
78%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
62.6%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.7
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) C+
33
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school51.2
Median of its 12 closest peers49.8
Sunderland average43.8
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
St Mark's West Essex Catholic SchoolHarlow · 225 miles awayGood46.3
All Saints' Catholic Voluntary AcademyMansfield · 121 miles awayGood51.6
St Monica's RC High School, a Voluntary AcademyManchester · 101 miles awayGood50.4
Nova Hreod AcademySwindon · 230 miles awayGood49.1
The Mirfield Free GrammarMirfield · 84 miles awayGood47.8
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar SchoolBlackburn · 91 miles awayGood47
Malcolm Arnold AcademyNorthampton · 183 miles awayGood41.4
Abbey Grange Church of England AcademyLeeds · 74 miles awayStrong standard55.9
St Bernard's High SchoolWestcliff-on-Sea · 247 miles awayGood54.9
Gunnersbury Catholic SchoolBrentford · 239 miles awayOutstanding63.5
Samuel Ward AcademyHaverhill · 208 miles awayGood43.8
St Bede's Catholic CollegeBristol · 240 miles awayExpected standard57.1

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 60% (Sunderland 84%, England 59%) · Black African 12% (Sunderland 4%, England 5%) · Asian Bangladeshi 8% (Sunderland 2%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 5% (Sunderland 1%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 4% (Sunderland 1%, England 4%) · Asian Pakistani 3% (Sunderland 0%, England 5%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Sunderland 1%, England 3%) · Any other White background 1% (Sunderland 2%, England 7%) · Asian Chinese 1% (Sunderland 0%, England 1%) · Any other Black background 1% (Sunderland 0%, England 1%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Sunderland 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Sunderland 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
6.2%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
17.9%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

10.38 suspensions per 100 pupils and 4 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Sunderland: 45.24 suspensions and 0.68 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
18.9
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

90% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 6% moved to another state school · 4% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

68.5% of teachers took sickness absence, 8.8 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £52,875; 15.3% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£6,283
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 73% (77%) · premises 6% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 10% (6%) · supplies and services 10% (11%) · educational supplies 4% (6%) · bought-in professional services 2% (1%) · catering 6% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £43,000; in-year balance +£730,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
92%
Continuing in education
87%
Apprenticeship
2%
Employment
3%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
59%
Apprenticeship
12%
Employment
16%
Any sustained destination
93%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
2/10among the most deprived fifth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher33%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications22.5%18.1%
In managerial or professional work27.2%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways27.5%18.1%
Residents in very good health43.3%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier32.6%62.3%
Social housing25.8%17.1%
Privately rented41.7%20.5%
Detached houses3.9%22.9%
Flats59.3%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms14.5%21.1%
Households with no car or van43.9%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01008735 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£180,000547 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£114,000–£253,500the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (36)£355,000
Semi-detached (201)£225,000
Terraced (150)£180,000
Flat (160)£93,000

Homes around this school are cheaper than three quarters of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
2an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
2an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
7an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
3an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools