Staindrop Academy
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Staindrop Academy is a sponsored academy in Darlington for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 504 pupils and room for 675. About 31 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 69% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2021.
Cleatlam Lane, Staindrop, Darlington, DL2 3JU01833 660285staindropacademy.comMrs Sarah Mitchinson headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 6 October 2021, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
78 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† | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 78 | 56 | 61 | 80 | 112 | 92 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 45.6 | 47.8 | 46.5 | 49.4 | 44.9 | 48.5 | 44.2 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.16 | -0.37 | -0.42 | -0.23 | -0.08 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 39% | 43% | 41% | 51% | 45% | 46% | 41% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 65% | 63% | 70% | 73% | 63% | 68% | 61% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.64 | 4.04 | 3.62 | 3.66 | 3.63 | 4.08 | 3.75 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 17% | 23% | 11% | 4% | 21% | 42% | 32% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 32.3 | 41.9 | 36.2 | 35.1 | 38.0 | 40.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 48.5 | 49.9 | 49.5 | 55.1 | 47.2 | 51.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 33.4 | 28.0 | 32.9 | 20.9 | 26.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 63.3 | 64.6 | 64.9 | 60.6 | 62.3 | – | – |
† These results are for Staindrop School, the school this one replaced in October 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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: Statistics (4% here, 51% across England), Geography (31% here, 51% across England), History (37% here, 52% across England), Combined Science (23% here, 36% 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 | 78 | 9% | 45% | 77% | 53% | 2,092 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 78 | 10% | 56% | 71% | 58% | 1,546 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 78 | 14% | 45% | 67% | 54% | 2,211 of 3,210 |
| Combined Science | 64 | 2% | 23% | 47% | 36% | 2,386 of 3,084 |
| History | 43 | 16% | 37% | 51% | 52% | 2,403 of 3,126 |
| Art and Design | 37 | 14% | 46% | 62% | 58% | 2,012 of 2,818 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 30 | 13% | 60% | 70% | 52% | 395 of 1,098 |
| Geography | 26 | 8% | 31% | 42% | 51% | 2,585 of 3,116 |
| Statistics | 25 | 0% | 4% | 64% | 51% | 371 of 375 |
| German | 17 | 12% | 53% | 77% | 63% | – |
| Physics | 14 | 14% | 86% | 86% | 82% | – |
| Chemistry | 14 | 14% | 71% | 100% | 81% | – |
| Biology | 14 | 14% | 79% | 93% | 82% | – |
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.
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. None of the gaps 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
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.
302 places were empty (39% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 30% since 2021/22.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (102 offers for 120 places).
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 120 | 181 | 102 | – all offered | LA |
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 33 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for secondary schools with enough answers to publish.
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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (47), emotional and mental health (34), Autistic spectrum disorder (22), language and communications needs (17), Specific learning difficulty (8), Physical disability (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 504 | 469 | 429 | 387 | 367 | 369 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 31% | 30% | 26% | 26% | 23% | 21% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 32% | 30% | 21% | 24% | 26% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 4% | 3% | 2% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.9% 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 | 10.1% | 10.4% | 8.9% | 8.6% | 5.6% | 5.3% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.7% | 5.6% | 5.0% | 5.7% | 3.7% | 2.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.4% | 4.8% | 3.8% | 2.9% | 1.9% | 2.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 28.5% | 34.6% | 28.8% | 31.7% | 16.4% | 13.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 5.3 | 6.1 | 21.5 | 9.5 | 4.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 61 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 79%, compared with 94% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 90% | 91% | 93% | 94% |
| Education | 67% | 66% | 82% | 85% |
| Apprenticeship | 18% | 16% | 6% | 4% |
| Work | 5% | 9% | 6% | 5% |
| Not in education, work or training | 7% | 8% | 4% | 6% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teesdale School and Sixth Form | Academy | 4.5 miles | 684 | Not inspected | 66 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Staindrop Academy with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 36 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 36% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 25 to 49. 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% | in line | -0.07 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 78 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 15% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.01 | Ofsted grade, 4.9 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.13 | DfE progress measure; 78 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.07 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.03 | 2024/25; 495 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | +0.02 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 78 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | -0.01 | 61 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | above | +0.05 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 33 responses |
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 Staindrop Academy a good school?
It is about average. Staindrop Academy scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 69% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 25 to 49, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Staindrop Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Staindrop Academy good at its last full inspection on 6 October 2021. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Staindrop Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 39% 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 45.6, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Staindrop Academy have?
504 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 675 places, so it is 75% full.
Is Staindrop Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 302 places were empty in 2024/25 (39% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Staindrop Academy?
Pupils were in school 89.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 28% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about Staindrop Academy?
97% of the 33 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 100% say their child is happy there. Across England, 77% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at Staindrop Academy?
The average class had 23.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 23% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Staindrop Academy have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 90% 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
- Cleatlam Lane, Staindrop, Darlington, DL2 3JU
- Telephone
- 01833 660285
- Website
- staindropacademy.com
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Mitchinson
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Advance Learning Partnership (23 schools)
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Ward
- Lower Teesdale
- Constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 October 2017 (fresh start)
- URN
- 144991 · LAESTAB 8404008 · UKPRN 10065138
- Formerly
- Staindrop 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.
- 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.
- Admissions outcomes: County Durham council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- 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.