Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy

Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy is an outstanding primary school in Sunderland and part of Northern Lights Learning Trust. This was its first routine section 5 inspection and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic. Under current arrangements the school received outstanding judgements for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, but no overall effectiveness grade. Inspectors found an aspirational, nurturing and strongly inclusive school where pupils achieve exceptionally well. The curriculum is broad, ambitious and well sequenced, with particularly strong early reading and early years provision. Pupils with SEND are well supported to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers, staff expertise is impressive, and behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are confident, respectful and engaged in charitable, leadership and citizenship activities. Safeguarding is effective, attendance systems encourage good attendance and punctuality, and leaders, governors and trustees share a strong vision. The report identifies no significant areas for improvement. Parents are overwhelmingly positive, especially about Nursery and Reception, and pupils leave as confident, well-rounded individuals.

Strengths

• Broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum meets the needs of all pupils.
• Pupils achieve exceptionally well, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Strong inclusive support helps pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum.
• Exceptionally well-structured early reading curriculum builds fluency, confidence and a love of reading.
• Exemplary early years provision provides a language-rich and stimulating start to education.
• Staff expertise is impressive and continuously enhanced by high-quality trust professional development.
• Pupils' behaviour is exemplary, with rare incidents of poor behaviour and bullying.
• Pupils develop leadership, teamwork and citizenship through charitable and decision-making activities.
• Strong, united leadership with active governors and trustees championing high standards.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Systems encourage good attendance and punctuality.
• Parents are overwhelmingly happy with the education their children receive in Nursery and Reception.

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 Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 12.9% of pupils at Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy received £9,196 and spent £8,754 for each of its 314 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £559,000 (£1,780 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Northern Lights Learning Trust, income was £8,188 and spending £8,299 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 Sunderland · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy is part of Northern Lights Learning Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Venerable Bede Church of England Academy Sunderland
• Dame Dorothy Primary School Sunderland
• Holley Park Academy Washington
• Hart Primary School Hartlepool
• St Peter's Elwick Church of England Primary School Hartlepool
• St Helen's Primary School Hartlepool
• Grange Primary School Hartlepool
• Tilery Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Ian Ramsey Church of England Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• St Aidan's Church of England Academy Darlington

What is Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy have?

Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy has 333 pupils on roll.

What age range does Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy cover?

Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 97% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy?

Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy is at Marcross Drive, Moorside, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR3 2RE.