Hetton Academy

Hetton Academy is a rapidly improving secondary school where leaders from the school and the Northern Education Trust have successfully driven significant change. This was its first section 5 inspection as an academy and its first routine inspection since the pandemic; its predecessor school had previously been judged to require improvement. Pupils’ external examination outcomes have improved quickly and are now well above local and national averages, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is calm, with high expectations for conduct and positive relationships between pupils and staff. The curriculum is well planned, staff are well trained, and pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively. Attendance has improved, including for pupils with SEND, and behaviour has improved significantly over the last two years. However, suspensions remain high, and some pupils, particularly in key stage 3, are still removed from lessons too frequently. When the school’s high behaviour expectations are not met, this affects the otherwise positive learning environment. Personal development is generally well planned, but older pupils, especially in Year 11, do not always see its relevance to their own lives and have gaps in important knowledge such as relationships education. Leaders recognise the need to reduce suspensions further and to address these gaps, and there is a clear commitment across the school and trust to continue improving.

Strengths

• Rapid improvement in external examination outcomes, now well above local and national averages.
• Calm school environment with high expectations for conduct and positive pupil-staff relationships.
• Well-sequenced curriculum with trained staff and opportunities for pupils to revisit learning.
• Quick identification of SEND and effective adaptations that help pupils access the curriculum.
• Inclusive provision, including bespoke support in the specially resourced provision.
• Effective support for the weakest key stage 3 readers in decoding, fluency and confidence.
• Improved attendance and reduced persistent absence for key groups, including pupils with SEND.
• Inspiring careers programme that helps pupils make informed future decisions.
• Positive culture of respect and kindness, with pupils confident bullying is addressed.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, particularly in key stage 3, are removed from lessons too frequently.
• Overall suspension rates remain high despite recent reductions.
• Personal development does not fully benefit older pupils, with gaps in relationships education for Year 11.
• Some pupils do not recognise the relevance of personal development to their own lives.
• High behaviour expectations are occasionally not met, which impacts the learning environment.

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 Hetton Academy attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.8% 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, 24.7% of pupils at Hetton Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 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 Hetton Academy had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% 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, 18.4% of pupils at Hetton Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 4 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 Hetton Academy received £8,795 and spent £8,952 for each of its 673 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £702,000 (£1,042 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of Northern Education Trust, income was £8,462 and spending £8,166 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 Houghton Le Spring · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

Hetton Academy is part of Northern Education Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Farringdon Community Academy Sunderland
• Red House Academy Sunderland
• Dyke House Sports and Technology College Hartlepool
• Manor Community Academy Hartlepool
• Hilton Primary Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Thorp Academy Ryton
• Walbottle Academy Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Frederick Nattrass Primary Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• Norton Primary Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• North Shore Academy Stockton-On-Tees

What is Hetton Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hetton Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Hetton Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Hetton Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Hetton Academy have?

Hetton Academy has 681 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hetton Academy cover?

Hetton Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Hetton Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.2, and 60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Hetton Academy?

Hetton Academy is at North Road, Hetton-le-Hole, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear, DH5 9JZ.