Sacriston Academy

Sacriston Academy is a well-led school that is performing strongly across most areas. Inspectors found the quality of education, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, attendance and behaviour, and personal development and wellbeing all at the strong standard, with safeguarding met. Pupils are happy, polite and engaged in a broad, well-sequenced curriculum. The school is part of North East Learning Trust and serves a community with above-average deprivation and a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and SEN support. Notable strengths include effective teaching, strong early years provision, inclusive support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, and a rich personal development offer. Behaviour is highly positive, attendance is improving, and staff feel valued. Achievement is graded expected standard: pupils achieve well and 2025 outcomes were strong, but these outcomes are not yet sustained over time. The main concerns are that a small number of pupils still have persistent attendance issues, meaning they miss important learning, and leaders need to continue work to sustain positive outcomes and to support and challenge parents and carers on attendance. Overall, this is a strong school with clear capacity to improve further in these areas.

Strengths

• Well-designed, carefully sequenced curriculum adapted from trust frameworks
• Consistent, effective teaching with strong checking of understanding and responsive support
• Excellent early years provision with smooth transitions and highly skilled staff
• Strong inclusive practice for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Highly positive behaviour and a consistent, school-wide positive behaviour approach
• Supportive, ambitious leadership and governance with effective trust oversight
• Rich personal development offer with wide enrichment, careers and financial education
• Strong pastoral support and positive relationships between staff and pupils
• Attendance shows an upward trend and is well tracked with timely action

Areas for Improvement

• A small number of pupils still have persistent attendance challenges, causing them to miss important learning
• Achievement is at expected standard rather than strong, and positive 2025 outcomes are not yet sustained over time
• Parents and carers need continued support and challenge to collaborate with the school on attendance

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 Sacriston Academy attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 1.5% of pupils at Sacriston Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 Sacriston Academy had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 25.8% of pupils at Sacriston Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Sacriston Academy received £8,059 and spent £8,028 for each of its 186 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £283,000 (£1,526 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of North East Learning Trust, income was £8,623 and spending £8,502 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

Sacriston Academy is part of North East Learning Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Hermitage Academy Chester Le Street
• Browney Primary Academy Browney
• Biddick Academy Washington
• Diamond Hall Junior Academy Sunderland
• Easington Academy Peterlee
• The Academy at Shotton Hall Peterlee
• Carville Academy Wallsend
• Churchill Academy Wallsend
• Teesdale School and Sixth Form Barnard Castle
• Meadowdale Academy Bedlington

What is Sacriston Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sacriston Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Sacriston Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Sacriston Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Sacriston Academy have?

Sacriston Academy has 190 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sacriston Academy cover?

Sacriston Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Sacriston Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sacriston Academy?

Sacriston Academy is at Witton Road, Sacriston, Durham, DH7 6LQ.