School Chooser

Durham Trinity School & Sports College

Special · ages 2-19MixedCouncil254 pupilsSixth formNursery Free breakfast clubDurhamCounty Durham
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance88.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families56%Far more than most schools
Pupils per teacher7.2School workforce census
Pupils on roll254Census January 2026

Durham Trinity School & Sports College is a council special school in Durham for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 254 pupils. About 56 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.

Dunholme Close, Aykley Heads, Durham, DH1 5WB0191 386 4612durhamtrinity.co.ukMrs Rachel Grimwood headteacherAll details

Ofsted

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

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.79In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2017/18, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018County DurhamEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11292021272219
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 81.844.246.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.79
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%41%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%61%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.153.754.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%32%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged2.0
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged1.6
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers0.5

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

16 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017County DurhamEngland
Pupils tested161119171416
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%8%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-5.9-6.8-5.0-4.4
Maths progressMaths progress score-6.1-7.3-4.9-5.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%

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.

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 the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
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 County Durham council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll254Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families55%56% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%254 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)55%£159,900 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls178 / 76
White British pupils92%

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 County Durham with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (135), Severe learning difficulty (54), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (30), language and communications needs (11), Moderate learning difficulty (7), Specific learning difficulty (6).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll254252246227237237
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals55%52%48%40%38%40%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%2%1%1%2%1%
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 88.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance88.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school34.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.2%11.4%10.7%10.7%6.9%7.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence10.3%10.4%9.9%9.8%6.2%6.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%1.0%0.8%0.9%0.7%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence34.8%35.1%36.2%40.3%20.4%23.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 21 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training95%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training95%96%100%94%
Education95%96%100%94%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%6%

Staff and money

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

Teachers35.4full-time equivalent, 36 people
Pupils per teacher7.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants63.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£57,253
Teachers who left in the year3%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher9.52024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£28,660England £32,258. Total £7.2m
Income per pupil£29,252England £32,367. Total £7.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,069England £11,930
Money in reserve-4%In the red: -£266k, -£1,061 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£149kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£28,660spent 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 m8412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate98 per 1,000 people7% higher than the England average
Typical house price£143,000County Durham
Nearest bus stop390 mHappy Wanderer, 8 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
Framwellgate Moor Primary SchoolCouncil730 m375Outstanding 202497Compare
St Leonard's Catholic School, DurhamAcademy750 m1,293No overall grade 202492Compare
Framwellgate School DurhamAcademy790 m1,204No overall grade 202428Compare
New College DurhamFurther education930 mNot inspectedCompare
St Godric's Catholic Primary School, DurhamAcademy980 m212Good 202191Compare
Durham Newton Hall Infants' SchoolCouncil980 m110No overall grade 202449Compare
Blue Coat CofE (Aided) Junior SchoolChurch of England0.6 miles214Good 202371Compare
Durham Sixth Form CentreAcademy 16-19 converter0.8 miles1,747Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Durham Trinity School & Sports College a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Durham Trinity School & Sports College yet.

How good are Durham Trinity School & Sports College's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Durham Trinity School & Sports College have?

254 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026.

What is attendance like at Durham Trinity School & Sports College?

Pupils were in school 88.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 35% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Durham Trinity School & Sports College 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 Durham Trinity School & Sports College have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

Does Durham Trinity School & Sports College 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
Dunholme Close, Aykley Heads, Durham, DH1 5WB
Telephone
0191 386 4612
Website
www.durhamtrinity.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Rachel Grimwood
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
County Durham
Ward
Framwellgate & Newton Hall
Constituency
City of Durham
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
114349 · LAESTAB 8407032 · UKPRN 10015323

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from