Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy

Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy is a larger-than-average secondary school within the Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy Trust. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and judged attendance and behaviour to be a clear strength: attendance has improved year on year and is above national averages, while pupils are calm, courteous and respectful and say bullying is rare and dealt with quickly. Leaders' tailored support for vulnerable pupils has helped reduce suspensions, and pupils feel safe. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development and post-16 provision all meet the expected standard. The school offers a broad curriculum, effective reading and mathematics support, strong governance and a wide enrichment and careers programme. Disadvantaged pupils' attainment has improved and is now above the national average, pupils with SEND progress well from their starting points, and sixth-form outcomes have improved after a period of low A-level results. There are still areas to sharpen. Teaching is not consistently adapted for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and staff do not always check understanding precisely enough to deepen knowledge. Some support is not applied consistently, disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8 was below national in 2023/24, and the revised post-16 curriculum is still being embedded; A-level value added was also below national in 2023/24.

Strengths

• Attendance is a strength, with sustained year-on-year improvement and overall attendance above national averages.
• Behaviour is calm, orderly and respectful, and pupils feel safe and secure.
• Pupils report that bullying and discrimination are rare and dealt with immediately.
• Leaders provide tailored support for vulnerable pupils, helping to reduce suspensions.
• Disadvantaged pupils' attainment has improved and is now above the national average.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities progress well from their starting points.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced, with well-trained teachers and secure subject knowledge.
• Reading, writing and mathematics support is effective, including for pupils who find reading challenging.
• The school has an inclusive culture that supports disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and children known to social care.
• Governance is highly effective, with robust accountability and a clear long-term vision.
• Staff value support for workload, wellbeing and professional development.
• Personal development is prioritised through wide enrichment, leadership opportunities and strong pastoral care.
• Pupils are well prepared for next steps through careers guidance, employer encounters and work experience.
• Sixth-form outcomes have improved and are now broadly in line with national averages.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not consistently adapted for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding precisely, so opportunities to deepen knowledge are missed.
• Support for some pupils is not consistently applied, lessening the progress they make.
• Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8 was below the national average in 2023/24.
• The revised post-16 curriculum is still being embedded across subjects.
• A-level value added was below the national average in 2023/24.

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 Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.8% 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, 6.6% of pupils at Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 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 Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.7% 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, 10.3% of pupils at Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.1% 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 Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy received £8,883 and spent £9,150 for each of its 1,293 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,121,000 (£1,640 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 Chester Le Street · Gateshead local authority: places and applications

What is Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy have?

Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy has 1,334 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy cover?

Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.2, and 39% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy?

Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy is at Birtley Lane, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 2LP.