Haughton Academy
| Type | Secondary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 11-16 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Salters Lane South Darlington County Durham DL1 2AN |
| Phone | 01325254000 |
| Reference Number | 138089 |
Haughton Academy is a larger-than-average secondary school in Darlington and part of Education Village Academy Trust. It has a new principal who started in September 2025, and inspectors noted significant leadership change since the previous inspection. The school serves a disadvantaged community: free school meals eligibility and SEN support are well above average. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils generally feel safe, happy and well cared for. Inspectors also considered the school's response to a serious incident involving a former pupil that did not occur at the school. The school is broadly getting the core right. The curriculum is broad, well sequenced and adapted to pupils' starting points, and teachers generally have the subject knowledge to deliver it. Inclusion is a strength: pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are identified quickly, supported well, and benefit from bespoke interventions and calm inclusion spaces. Leadership and governance are effective, with trustees and governors holding leaders to account and staff benefiting from strong professional development. Pupils also benefit from a well-structured personal development programme, careers advice and a wide range of activities. However, pupils' achievement is not yet good enough. National test and examination outcomes have been below average, and some pupils lack the secure knowledge and skills needed to achieve well by the end of key stage 4. Recent teaching improvements are not yet fully reflected in results, and a minority of teachers do not secure subject vocabulary well. Attendance is a significant concern: too many pupils are persistently absent, and leaders do not always pinpoint the causes precisely. Behaviour support for a minority is not improving quickly enough, leading to repeat suspensions and exclusions. The school's next steps focus on these areas: better behaviour regulation support, reducing severe and persistent absence, consistently high-quality teaching, and stronger achievement.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 854 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 52.46%
Girls: 47.54% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 42.6% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 4.4% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 22.4 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 73 | 93 | 166 |
| 8 | 95 | 92 | 187 |
| 9 | 110 | 90 | 200 |
| 10 | 94 | 64 | 158 |
| 11 | 76 | 67 | 143 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 88.1% |
| White, Other | 3.5% |
| African | 1.6% |
| Asian, Other | 1.4% |
| White & Asian | 1.3% |
| Indian | 0.9% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 0.5% |
| Chinese | 0.4% |
| Mixed, Other | 0.2% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.1% |
| Irish | 0.1% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Needs attention |
| > Leadership & Governance | Expected standard |
| > Personal Development & Wellbeing | Expected standard |
| > Achievement | Needs attention |
| > Attendance & Behaviour | Needs attention |
| > Curriculum & Teaching | Expected standard |
| > Inclusion | Expected standard |
| Last Report Date | 12 May 2026 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 12 May 2026 | School inspection |
| 01 Feb 2022 | School inspection |
| 24 Mar 2021 | Monitoring visit |
| 26 Nov 2020 | Monitoring visit |
| 24 Oct 2019 | Monitoring visit |
| 12 Jun 2018 | Full inspection |
| 18 May 2016 | Full inspection |
| 30 Apr 2015 | Monitoring visit |
| 05 Feb 2014 | Full inspection |
| 10 Aug 2012 | Academy conversion letter |
| 28 Sep 2011 | Full inspection: |
| Previously as Haughton Community School | |
| 28 Sep 2011 | Full inspection: |
| 08 Dec 2009 | Monitoring visit |
| 08 Dec 2009 | Monitoring visit |
| 24 Nov 2009 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 24 Nov 2009 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 03 Dec 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 03 Dec 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 23 Feb 2004 | Full inspection |
| 23 Feb 2004 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe and well cared for.
- The curriculum is broad, well sequenced and adapted to pupils' starting points.
- Teachers have the subject knowledge needed to deliver the curriculum well.
- Leaders have taken effective action to address weaker teaching.
- Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are identified quickly and supported well.
- Bespoke interventions and inclusion spaces improve wellbeing and access to learning.
- Additional funding and external partnerships enhance support for vulnerable pupils.
- Trustees and governors know the school well and hold leaders to account.
- Leaders care about staff workload and provide high-quality professional development.
- The personal development programme is well structured and tailored to pupils' needs.
- Pupils benefit from a range of sports, arts, leadership and community opportunities.
- Pupils are typically well prepared for their next steps, including through work experience.
- The school environment is typically calm and purposeful, with rare low-level disruption.
- Bullying and discrimination are not tolerated and are dealt with effectively.
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils do not achieve highly enough in national tests and examinations.
- GCSE English and maths grade 5 outcomes and Attainment 8 were below national averages in 2024/25.
- A minority of pupils lack secure knowledge and skills to achieve well by the end of key stage 4.
- Recent improvements to teaching are not yet reflected in published outcomes.
- A minority of teachers do not ensure pupils understand and use subject-based vocabulary effectively in writing.
- A significant minority of pupils are absent too often, limiting their achievement.
- Leaders do not always identify the causes of poor attendance precisely enough.
- Support for a minority of pupils with behaviour needs is not improving behaviour quickly enough, leading to repeat suspensions and exclusions.
- Persistent absence remains above the national average.
- Personal development topics are not always revisited in depth, so some older pupils struggle to recall key learning such as fundamental British values.
Ofsted Parent View
The latest published parent view scores are from 2018. Ofsted only publish scores if there have been more than 10 responses to the survey.
| Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | Don't Know | Total Responses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. My child is happy at this school | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 2. My child feels safe at this school | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 3. My child makes good progress at this school | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 4. My child is well looked after at this school | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 5. My child is taught well at this school | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 6. My child receives appropriate homework for their age | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| 7. This school makes sure its pupils are well behaved | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 8. This school deals effectively with bullying | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| 9. This school is well led and managed | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| 10. This school responds well to any concerns I raise | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| 11. I receive valuable information from the school about my child’s progress | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 12. Would you recommend this school to another parent? | 13 | 1 |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
- English
- Maths
- 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
- 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education
Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.
| School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 38 |
GCSE Results
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33.9% | ||
| 5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) | 45.2% |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 73 | 5 |
| Third Preference | 37 | 1 |
| From another Local Authority | 1 | 1 |
Previous Years
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UnlockDestinations after GCSE's
| Staying in Education | |
| > Further Education | |
| > School Sixth Form | |
| > Sixth Form College | |
| > Other Education | |
| Apprenticeships | |
| Employment | |
| Not in education or employment | |
| Unknown |
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