Whitworth Park Academy

Whitworth Park Academy is a welcoming and inclusive school that has shown considerable improvement under new leadership. Pupils exhibit a strong sense of belonging and pride, and leaders maintain high expectations for academic success. Behaviour is generally good, and the school promotes a strong ethos of safety and respect among students. Personal development is a recognized strength, with various activities enriching pupils’ education beyond the classroom, although some concerns remain regarding the breadth and depth of subjects offered, notably at key stage 3.

Strengths

• Inclusive school environment fostering a strong sense of belonging.
• High expectations for academic success from leaders.
• Pupils demonstrate good behaviour and engage positively in lessons.
• Strong personal development curriculum with enriching extracurricular opportunities.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Areas for Improvement

• Limited curriculum time impacts depth of subject study.
• Some teachers do not effectively adapt strategies for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Recent changes in leadership may not yet be fully embedded and require further support.

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 Whitworth Park Academy attended 91.1% 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, 2.1% of pupils at Whitworth Park Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Whitworth Park Academy had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.1% 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, 20.4% of pupils at Whitworth Park Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.5% 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 Whitworth Park Academy received £8,014 and spent £8,121 for each of its 988 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £704,000 (£713 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of Advance Learning Partnership, income was £8,477 and spending £8,506 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 Spennymoor · County Durham local authority: places and applications

Whitworth Park Academy is part of Advance Learning Partnership, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Middlestone Moor Academy Durham
• Parkside Academy Crook
• Hunwick Primary School Crook
• Brandon Primary Academy Durham
• Bishop Barrington Academy Bishop Auckland
• Bowburn Primary School Bowburn
• Woodhouse Primary Academy Bishop Auckland
• Greenfield Academy Newton Aycliffe
• New Brancepeth Primary Academy Durham
• Howden-le-Wear Primary School Crook

What is Whitworth Park Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whitworth Park Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Whitworth Park Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Whitworth Park Academy was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Whitworth Park Academy have?

Whitworth Park Academy has 996 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whitworth Park Academy cover?

Whitworth Park Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Whitworth Park Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.3, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Whitworth Park Academy?

Whitworth Park Academy is at Whitworth Lane, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 7LN.