Christ's College
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Christ's College is a free school in Sunderland for boys and girls aged 4 to 18. It has 796 pupils and room for 860. About 35 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 34 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 62% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Pennywell Road, Sunderland, SR4 8PG0191 534 4444christscollege.org.ukMrs Julie Normanton principalAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 17 October 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
72 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Sunderland | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 72 | 72 | 58 | 47 | 43 | 36 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 43.2 | 39.9 | 41.6 | 46.0 | 52.8 | 46.6 | 43.8 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.68 | -0.56 | -0.05 | +0.58 | +0.04 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 43% | 35% | 38% | 38% | 47% | 36% | 42% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 65% | 58% | 55% | 60% | 72% | 58% | 62% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.84 | 3.48 | 3.65 | 4.10 | 4.57 | 4.16 | 3.84 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 43% | 33% | 43% | 30% | 37% | 53% | 40% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 37.3 | 37.7 | 34.1 | 34.1 | 44.6 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 46.3 | 40.9 | 46.2 | 48.4 | 54.7 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 27.0 | 23.0 | 32.4 | – | 22.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 54.9 | 64.1 | – | 63.5 | 59.7 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 13 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Geography (22% here, 51% across England), Business (30% here, 51% across England), French (47% here, 60% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 72 | 15% | 51% | 69% | 53% | 1,562 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 72 | 11% | 47% | 68% | 54% | 2,020 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 68 | 16% | 53% | 71% | 58% | 1,820 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 55 | 18% | 62% | 80% | 60% | 936 of 1,825 |
| Combined Science | 49 | 2% | 29% | 53% | 36% | 1,976 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 41 | 2% | 22% | 44% | 51% | 2,919 of 3,116 |
| French | 30 | 10% | 47% | 63% | 60% | 1,474 of 1,974 |
| History | 28 | 18% | 54% | 64% | 52% | 1,339 of 3,126 |
| Physics | 21 | 14% | 81% | 100% | 82% | 1,582 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 21 | 10% | 76% | 100% | 81% | 1,726 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 21 | 19% | 81% | 100% | 82% | 1,594 of 2,570 |
| Business | 20 | 0% | 30% | 65% | 51% | 1,495 of 1,806 |
| Art and Design | 13 | 0% | 46% | 85% | 58% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
60 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Sunderland | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 60 | 51 | 60 | 49 | 45 | 43 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 51% | 53% | 57% | 56% | 47% | 67% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 8% | 5% | 8% | 7% | 2% | 10% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 105.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 | 101.0 | 105.6 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 103.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 | 102.0 | 100.0 | 104.9 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 105.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 | 103.0 | 105.7 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 78% | 59% | 68% | 80% | 80% | 65% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 73% | 63% | 70% | 76% | 69% | 58% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 80% | 73% | 80% | 65% | 62% | 58% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +0.0 | +1.6 | +1.8 | -0.5 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +0.5 | -1.2 | +0.0 | -2.0 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 58% | 47% | 69% | 50% | 33% | 33% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 67% | 53% | 49% | 60% | 64% | 50% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
A level and sixth-form results, 2019
7 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 7 | 15 | 23 | 35 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 29.66 | 34.69 | 38.05 | 31.51 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- | C |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | – | 35.00 | 38.33 | 31.11 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | – | 20% | 33% | 10% |
| A level progressA level value added | -0.20 | +0.07 | +0.13 | +0.02 |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 63% | 80% | 86% | – |
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. 5 of the 6 gaps are 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
At the end of primary school, 2025
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
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
The school is full, with 9 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 21% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
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 Sunderland council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 20.0 pupils (England 26.2); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.4 (England 28.2).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (47), emotional and mental health (23), Moderate learning difficulty (14), language and communications needs (13), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (11), Specific learning difficulty (9).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 796 | 778 | 761 | 698 | 636 | 558 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 35% | 33% | 31% | 31% | 29% | 24% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 7% | 7% | 6% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 14% | 17% | 16% | 19% | 15% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.4% | 9.5% | 9.7% | 10.4% | 5.0% | 4.6% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.5% | 5.2% | 5.6% | 7.2% | 3.2% | 2.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.9% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 3.2% | 1.8% | 1.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 25.3% | 32.2% | 32.1% | 37.7% | 14.4% | 12.4% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 15.2 | 18.5 | 21.1 | 18.2 | 3.8 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 58 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 68%, compared with 92% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 83% | 92% | 100% | 97% |
| Education | 74% | 87% | 94% | 94% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 0% | 6% | 3% |
| Work | 2% | 4% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 12% | 9% | 0% | 3% |
After sixth form
Where the 22 pupils who left in 2016/17 were a year later.
Where the ones heading for university went
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy 360 | Academy | 440 m | 854 | Good 2022 | 5 | Compare |
| Broadway Junior School | Council | 540 m | 227 | Good 2023 | 32 | Compare |
| St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland | Academy | 550 m | 240 | No overall grade 2024 | 70 | Compare |
| Pennywell Early Years Centre | Local authority nursery school | 550 m | 147 | No overall grade 2025 | – | Compare |
| St Anne's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School | Roman Catholic | 630 m | 238 | Good 2022 | 85 | Compare |
| Sandhill View Academy | Academy | 0.6 miles | 743 | Report card 2025 | 35 | Compare |
| Highfield Academy | Academy | 0.6 miles | 443 | Good 2022 | 85 | Compare |
| The Link School | Pupil referral unit | 0.7 miles | 164 | Good 2023 | – | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Christ's College with the 45 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 45 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Christ's College, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hermitage Academy | Academy | 7.0 miles | 881 | Good 2024 | 62 | Compare |
| The Academy at Shotton Hall | Academy | 10.7 miles | 1,202 | Outstanding 2024 | 88 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 34 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 34% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 23 to 47. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.09 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 72 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 2.9 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.21 | DfE progress measure; 72 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.04 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.01 | 2024/25; 786 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | +0.01 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 72 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well below | -0.05 | 58 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Christ's College a good school?
The figures are weak. Christ's College scores 34 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 62% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 23 to 47, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Christ's College's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Christ's College good at its last full inspection on 17 October 2023.
How good are Christ's College's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 43% 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 43.2, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are Christ's College's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 63% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 8% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Christ's College have?
796 pupils aged 4 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 860 places, so it is 93% full.
Is Christ's College oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 9 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at Christ's College?
Pupils were in school 92.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 25% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Christ's College?
The average class had 24.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 22% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Christ's College have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 83% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Pennywell Road, Sunderland, SR4 8PG
- Telephone
- 0191 534 4444
- Website
- www.christscollege.org.uk
- Principal
- Mrs Julie Normanton
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- All-through school, ages 4-18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Emmanuel Schools Foundation (5 schools)
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Ward
- St Anne's
- Constituency
- Houghton and Sunderland South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 10 September 2012 (new provision)
- URN
- 138567 · LAESTAB 3946010 · UKPRN 10038572
- Formerly
- Grindon Hall Christian School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.