St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester

St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College demonstrates a strong standard of education with notable strengths in safeguarding, curriculum design, and personal development. The school has a broad and ambitious curriculum that prepares pupils well for their next steps, with a particular focus on reading and oracy across subjects. Attendance is improving, and behaviour has significantly improved since the last inspection, creating a calm and positive learning environment. The school recognizes areas for further development, particularly in supporting pupils with special educational needs and those who struggle to connect learning across subjects.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding culture where all staff take responsibility
• Well-planned reading programmes enhancing literacy skills
• Clear focus on English, mathematics, and communication in teaching
• Positive behaviour climate recognized by staff and parents
• Effective personal development programme covering essential life skills
• High-quality careers education guiding pupils towards ambitious futures

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils lack confidence in making connections across subjects
• Pupils with special educational needs require more tailored support
• Teaching occasionally fails to deepen pupils' learning effectively

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 St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester attended 91.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.7% 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 St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.9% 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, 11.5% of pupils at St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.0% 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 St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester received £8,294 and spent £8,628 for each of its 1,258 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £138,000 (-£110 per pupil).

Across all 46 schools of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,708 and spending £7,760 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 Durham · County Durham local authority: places and applications

St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• All Saints' Catholic Primary School, Lanchester Durham
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, South Moor Stanley
• Our Lady and St Joseph Brooms Catholic Primary School, Leadgate Consett
• St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village Durham
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Dipton Stanley
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary, Stanley Stanley
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Consett Consett
• St Pius Xth Catholic Primary School, Consett Consett
• St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Sacriston Durham
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Blackhill Consett

What is St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester last inspected by Ofsted?

St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester have?

St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester has 1,240 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester cover?

St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.8, and 43% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester?

St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester is at Consett Road, Lanchester, Durham, DH7 0RD.