St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy

St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy is performing well, having improved from its previous inspection grade of Requires Improvement to Good. The school showcases a strong sense of community where pupils feel safe and well-supported, with positive relationships fostered between staff and students. The curriculum is broad and allows for a depth of understanding, particularly in key subjects such as English, mathematics, and science, while leaders have implemented effective strategies for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Strong sense of community among pupils and staff
• Well-planned and broad curriculum across key stages
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Positive behavior management resulting in calm lessons
• Comprehensive careers programme with high post-school planning success

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance rates for some pupils are not high enough
• Limited engagement of key stage 4 pupils in extra-curricular opportunities
• Need for greater depth in understanding British values in the personal development curriculum

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 Benet Biscop Catholic Academy attended 88.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.6% 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, 9.8% of pupils at St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 6 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 St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy had 15.7 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, 14.7% of pupils at St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.3% 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 Benet Biscop Catholic Academy received £7,850 and spent £8,242 for each of its 1,057 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,439,000 (£1,361 per pupil).

Across all 39 schools of Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,320 and spending £7,580 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 Bedlington · Northumberland local authority: places and applications

St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy is part of Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, which runs 39 schools. The nearest others:

• St Bede's Catholic Primary School Bedlington
• St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School Blyth
• St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Ashington Ashington
• Ss Peter and Paul's Catholic Primary Academy Cramlington
• St Roberts Catholic First School, Morpeth Morpeth
• St Marys Catholic Primary School, Forest Hall Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, Gosforth Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Stephen's Catholic Primary School, Newcastle Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Charles' Catholic Primary School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Mary's Catholic School Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

What is St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy have?

St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy has 994 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy cover?

St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.6, and 35% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy?

St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy is at Ridge Terrace, Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 6ED.