Sunderland schools in numbers
How Sunderland's 123 schools compare with North East and England on every headline measure, with the council's rank out of the English councils that have data. Ranks run from best to worst for each measure (highest attendance first, lowest exclusions first, and so on).
Schools123open, all types
Pupils41,439on roll
Primary schools83
Secondary schools18
Who the pupils are
| Measure | Sunderland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 116 schools | 30.9% | 32.9% | 26.3% | 102ndof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 107 schools | 35.1% | 34.5% | 27.1% | 112thof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 116 schools | 7.9% | 9.1% | 18.6% | 128thof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 118 schools | 15.7% | 16.0% | 14.5% | 33rdof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 118 schools | 10.3% | 10.8% | 11.6% | 110thof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | Sunderland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 97 schools | 23.9 | 23.4 | 25.0 | 25thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 97 schools | 8.1% | 7.6% | 10.6% | 57thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 115 schools | 19.2 | 18.5 | 19.0 | 85thof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 115 schools | 12.5% | 12.5% | 15.0% | 18thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 113 schools | £52,247 | £51,780 | £51,377 | 42ndof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 107 schools | 5.0 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 109thof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | Sunderland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 105 schools | 93.3% | 93.7% | 93.8% | 114thof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 105 schools | 17.6% | 16.1% | 15.8% | 96thof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 105 schools | 13.7 | 10.6 | 7.0 | 144thof 151 |
Money
| Measure | Sunderland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 114 schools | £8,951 | £9,261 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 114 schools | £4,277 | £4,341 | £4,229 | 66thof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 116 schools | 14.5% | 9.2% | 8.3% | 4thof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 116 schools | 10.3% | 14.7% | 14.1% | 55thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | Sunderland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 18 schools | 42.4% | 43.2% | 46.1% | 100thof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 18 schools | 43.8 | 44.9 | 47.0 | 121stof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 75 schools | 66.5% | 64.3% | 63.1% | 42ndof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 75 schools | 10.2% | 8.5% | 8.3% | 41stof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | Sunderland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 107 schools | 16% | 13% | 13% | 30thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 75 schools | 100% | 96% | 94% | 24thof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 98 schools | 37% | 35% | 35% | 64thof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 99 schools | 84.8% | 82.5% | 86.2% | 93rdof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 121 schools | 61% | 57% | 52% | 53rdof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 121 schools | 26.4% | 21.4% | 12.0% | 9thof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
SunderlandEngland
Since 2016: -2.1%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
SunderlandEngland
Since 2019: +5.9%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
SunderlandEngland
Since 2017: +6.3%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
SunderlandEngland
Since 2016: +8.2%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
SunderlandEngland
Since 2007: +12.8