School Chooser

Abbey Hill Academy

Special · ages 11-19MixedAcademy371 pupilsSixth formStockton-on-Tees
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance90.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families49%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull371 pupils, 357 places
Pupils per teacher6.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll371Census January 2026

Abbey Hill Academy is a special academy in Stockton-on-Tees for boys and girls aged 11 to 19. It has 371 pupils, 14 more than it has places for. About 49 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.

Ketton Road, Hardwick Estate, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 8BU01642 677113horizonstrust.org.ukMr James Newman principalAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

48 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score1.0
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.67In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2019 to 2025
2019: 0.10.120192023: 0.20.220232024: 0.30.320242025: 1.01.02025
Since 2019: +0.9
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018Stockton-on-TeesEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11485441463846
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 81.00.30.20.145.446.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.67-1.58-2.09
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%48%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%67%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.080.000.000.004.004.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%38%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged1.60.40.00.1
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged0.20.20.40.0
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers0.30.20.0

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
1.60.2
Gap 1.4England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
1.20.5
Gap 0.7England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Stockton-on-Tees council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll371Census January 2026
Places357104% full
Pupils from low-income families49%49% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English5%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%371 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)50%£161,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls266 / 105
White British pupils87%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Stockton-on-Tees with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (104), Moderate learning difficulty (99), language and communications needs (58), Severe learning difficulty (50), Physical disability (15), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (15).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll371367352359350316
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals49%47%49%46%49%48%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language5%5%5%6%5%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance90.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school24.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence9.9%10.1%10.1%12.1%20.5%8.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.9%7.7%7.8%8.8%18.8%6.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.0%2.4%2.3%3.3%1.7%1.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence24.8%27.4%28.1%36.1%73.6%24.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.21.12.21.70.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 41 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training90%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training90%96%93%98%
Education90%96%93%98%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training10%2%0%2%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers56.0full-time equivalent, 57 people
Pupils per teacher6.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants79.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£56,279
Teachers who left in the year5%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies1
Sick days per teacher9.82024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£25,450England £30,720. Total £9.3m
Income per pupil£26,948England £33,526. Total £9.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£11,807England £11,966
Money in reserve16%A healthy amount put by: £1.6m, £4,412 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£550kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£25,450spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m72112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate174 per 1,000 people91% higher than the England average
Typical house price£178,000Stockton-on-Tees
Nearest bus stop210 mNightingale Drive, 14 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Harrow Gate AcademyAcademy240 m432Good 202426Compare
St Gregory's Catholic AcademyAcademy460 m224Report card 202644Compare
Hardwick Green Primary AcademyAcademy630 m286No overall grade 20247Compare
Whitehouse Primary SchoolAcademy900 m340Good 202332Compare
Rosebrook Primary SchoolAcademy910 m407No overall grade 202533Compare
Kiora HallIndependent970 m34Not inspectedCompare
St John the Baptist Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles309Good 20238Compare
Our Lady & St. Bede Catholic AcademyAcademy0.8 miles1,005No overall grade 202523Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Abbey Hill Academy a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Abbey Hill Academy yet.

How good are Abbey Hill Academy's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 1.0, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does Abbey Hill Academy have?

371 pupils aged 11 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 357 places, so it is 104% full.

What is attendance like at Abbey Hill Academy?

Pupils were in school 90.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 25% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Abbey Hill Academy have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Abbey Hill Academy have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Ketton Road, Hardwick Estate, Stockton-on-Tees, TS19 8BU
Telephone
01642 677113
Website
www.horizonstrust.org.uk
Principal
Mr James Newman
Type of school
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Horizons Specialist Academy Trust (8 schools)
Local authority
Stockton-on-Tees
Ward
Hardwick & Salters Lane
Constituency
Stockton North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 August 2013 (academy converter)
URN
139974 · LAESTAB 8087029 · UKPRN 10042628
Formerly
Abbey Hill School and Technology College

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from