Harton Academy

Harton Academy has shown significant improvement since its last inspection, moving from a previous grade of requires improvement to a good overall effectiveness. The school boasts high standards in education and behaviour, coupled with an outstanding focus on personal development and sixth-form provision. With a supportive and committed leadership team guiding the school, pupils benefit from a broad curriculum and dedicated pastoral support, ensuring they enjoy a positive learning environment. However, the new leadership is navigating changes which may lead to inconsistencies in curriculum delivery, particularly affecting disadvantaged pupils.

Strengths

• High standards of education and behaviour.
• Respectful relationships between pupils and staff.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum taught by knowledgeable subject specialists.
• Outstanding personal development and sixth-form provision.
• Effective pastoral support and care for pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in the delivery of some curriculum subjects.
• Some disadvantaged pupils do not fully remember important information.

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 Harton Academy attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.2% 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, 3.1% of pupils at Harton Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Harton Academy had 14.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% 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, 25.2% of pupils at Harton Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 28 pupils.

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 Harton Academy received £8,276 and spent £7,989 for each of its 1,674 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,140,000 (£681 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 South Shields · South Tyneside local authority: places and applications

What is Harton Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Harton Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Harton Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Harton Academy was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Harton Academy have?

Harton Academy has 1,599 pupils on roll.

What age range does Harton Academy cover?

Harton Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Harton Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.2, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Harton Academy?

Harton Academy is at Lisle Road, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE34 6DL.