Kepier

Kepier is a large secondary school in Houghton le Spring, part of Eden Learning Trust, serving a community with well-above-average deprivation and above-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and receiving SEN support. Inspectors found the school performing at the expected standard overall, with personal development and wellbeing judged as a strong standard. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils are safe, happy and feel a sense of belonging; they behave well, and bullying is dealt with effectively. The school's strengths include a carefully tailored personal development programme, extensive enrichment and careers opportunities, and strong inclusion practices. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with SEND, are well supported to access the curriculum and wider school life. Leaders know the school well, governors provide effective challenge and support, and staff feel valued. However, achievement is at the expected standard: while most pupils attain close to national averages, a minority do not achieve as highly as they could. In a minority of lessons, teachers do not consistently check pupils' prior knowledge before moving on, leaving gaps in learning. Attendance remains a concern, with a minority of pupils, including some who are disadvantaged or have SEND, absent too often; overall absence and persistent absence are above national averages, though leaders are taking action and rates are reducing. The professional learning programme does not always precisely target the school's improvement priorities. Next steps for leaders include ensuring teachers check prior knowledge across all subjects, monitoring attendance actions carefully, and aligning professional learning with the improvement plan.

Strengths

• Personal development and wellbeing is a strong standard, with a tailored programme that helps pupils stay safe, understand risks and build healthy relationships.
• Pupils are safe, happy and feel a sense of belonging, and they conduct themselves very well in calm, purposeful classrooms.
• The school provides an extensive range of enrichment, leadership, residential and careers opportunities that shape pupils' aspirations.
• Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with SEND, are fully included and well supported to access the curriculum and wider school community.
• Leaders identify pupils' needs quickly and accurately, working closely with primary schools and external agencies.
• Inclusion is effective: additional funding, targeted mental health support and alternative provision are used well.
• The curriculum is well-sequenced, and teachers generally have strong subject knowledge, with high-quality teaching in some subjects.
• Pupils who join with gaps in reading, writing and mathematics are identified quickly and receive targeted support to catch up.
• Leaders and governors know the school well, take appropriate action, and value staff wellbeing and workload.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Behaviour is a strength: low-level disruption is rare, suspensions are used appropriately, and pupils interact positively.
• The careers programme prepares pupils very well for their next steps in education, employment or training.

Areas for Improvement

• In a minority of lessons, teachers do not check precisely what pupils know before moving on, leading to gaps in learning.
• A minority of pupils do not achieve as highly as they could.
• A minority of pupils are capable of learning at a faster pace than they do.
• A minority of pupils, including some who are disadvantaged and those with SEND, are absent from school too often; overall and persistent absence are above national averages.
• The professional learning programme does not always precisely target the school's improvement priorities.
• Leaders should monitor and evaluate actions to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence carefully.
• Disadvantaged pupils' progress and attainment gaps remain wide compared with non-disadvantaged peers nationally.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Kepier attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 10.8% of pupils at Kepier were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 15 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Kepier had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.5% of pupils at Kepier were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Kepier received £8,320 and spent £7,915 for each of its 1,145 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £3,135,000 (£2,738 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Eden Learning Trust, income was £8,319 and spending £8,301 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Houghton Le Spring · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

Kepier is part of Eden Learning Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Woodlea Primary School Houghton Le Spring
• Seaham High School Seaham
• Tanfield School Stanley
• Ferryhill School Ferryhill
• Chilton Academy Ferryhill
• King James I Academy Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland
• Woodham Academy Newton Aycliffe
• St Helen Auckland Community Primary School Bishop Auckland
• Aycliffe Village Primary and Nursery School Newton Aycliffe

What is Kepier's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kepier is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Kepier last inspected by Ofsted?

Kepier was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Kepier have?

Kepier has 1,131 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kepier cover?

Kepier for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Kepier's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.3, and 46% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Kepier?

Kepier is at Dairy Lane, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH4 5BH.