Report card · inspected Mar 2026
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
This schoolOther secondary schools in County Durham
What did Ofsted find?
Ofsted data to 30 September 2026| Area | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inclusion | Expected standard | ||||
| Curriculum and teaching | Expected standard | ||||
| Achievement | Expected standard | ||||
| Attendance and behaviour | Expected standard | ||||
| Personal development and wellbeing | Expected standard | ||||
| Early years | Does not apply to this school | ||||
| Post-16 provision | Expected standard | ||||
| Leadership and governance | Expected standard | ||||
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
- Does not apply
Colours follow Ofsted's report card scale; Schoolfile is independent of Ofsted.
Inspection history
- 17 March 2026Report card · 7 Expected standard
- 21 March 2023Graded inspection: Requires improvement
Full reports on the Ofsted website · How to read Ofsted grades
About these grades
Ofsted's report cards (from November 2025) grade each area on five steps and give no overall grade. Earlier grades come from a different framework; Ofsted says the two cannot be compared, so they are never converted here. Ofsted: "We normally inspect schools every 4 years or at any time if we have concerns." Methodology.
How hard is it to get a place?
DfE · Sept 2026 entry409 applications · 221 places offered · 205 named it first
FaithMay give priority to families of the faith.
- 2026 1.9; County Durham median median 1.8
- 2025 2.0; County Durham median median 1.9
- 2024 1.9; County Durham median median 1.9
- 2023 2.2; County Durham median median 1.9
- 2022 2.4; County Durham median median 1.9
- 2021 2.4; County Durham median median 2.0
- 2020 2.3; County Durham median median 1.9
- 2019 2.3; County Durham median median 2.0
- 2018 2.1; County Durham median median 2.0
- 2017 1.8; County Durham median median 1.7
- 2016 1.6; County Durham median median 1.5
- 2015 1.5; County Durham median median 1.5
- 2014 1.7; County Durham median median 1.4
- This school
- County Durham median
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close 31 October 2026, through your council
How this is measured
Applications per place: every application naming the school at any preference, divided by places offered on National Offer Day. It is not your chance of a place. Methodology.
| Entry | Places | Applications | Per place | First preferences | First-pref. ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 221 | 409 | 1.9 | 205 | 0.93 |
| Sep 2025 | 230 | 449 | 2.0 | 230 | 1.00 |
| Sep 2024 | 218 | 403 | 1.9 | 231 | 1.06 |
| Sep 2023 | 216 | 475 | 2.2 | 256 | 1.19 |
| Sep 2022 | 216 | 524 | 2.4 | 262 | 1.21 |
| Sep 2021 | 234 | 569 | 2.4 | 287 | 1.23 |
| Sep 2020 | 237 | 545 | 2.3 | 270 | 1.14 |
| Sep 2019 | 240 | 562 | 2.3 | 288 | 1.20 |
| Sep 2018 | 246 | 521 | 2.1 | 269 | 1.09 |
| Sep 2017 | 238 | 425 | 1.8 | 246 | 1.03 |
| Sep 2016 | 218 | 338 | 1.6 | 247 | 1.13 |
| Sep 2015 | 207 | 314 | 1.5 | 228 | 1.10 |
| Sep 2014 | 208 | 345 | 1.7 | 259 | 1.25 |
How did pupils do at GCSE?
DfE KS4 · 2025/26 provisionalEvery year as a table
| Year | Pupils | Attainment 8 | 5+ Eng & maths | 4+ Eng & maths | Progress 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 (prov.) | 233 | 45.8 | 43% | 67% | – |
| 2024/25 | 224 | 44.9 | 42% | 69% | – |
| 2023/24 | 233 | 49.8 | 51% | 75% | +0.22 |
| 2022/23 | 245 | 49.6 | 50% | 72% | −0.04 |
Progress 8 is not published for 2024/25 or 2025/26: those pupils had no key stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021.
Schools nearby
The 8 nearest secondary schools in a straight line, in any local authority
- St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, LanchesterThis schoolThis school20261.9applications per place 45.8Attainment 8
- 6.0 km · County DurhamGraded · no overall grade20242.7applications per place 54.4Attainment 8
- 6.0 km · County DurhamGood20221.6applications per place 39.9Attainment 8
- 6.2 km · County DurhamGood20231.4applications per place 47.2Attainment 8
- 8.7 km · County Durham20261.3applications per place 39.0Attainment 8
- 10.2 km · County DurhamGood20242.4applications per place 50.1Attainment 8
- 11.0 km · County DurhamGraded · no overall grade20242.7applications per place 48.9Attainment 8
- 11.1 km · County DurhamGraded · no overall grade20253.1applications per place 56.3Attainment 8
- 11.4 km · County DurhamGraded · no overall grade20242.4applications per place 56.5Attainment 8
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
- Does not apply
Eight dots, one per area: inclusion, curriculum, achievement, attendance, personal development, early years, post-16, leadership. Colours follow Ofsted's report card scale; Schoolfile is independent of Ofsted.
School details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- URN · DfE number
- 138172 · 840/4694
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Capacity
- 1,450 pupils · 1,240 on roll
- Free school meals
- 22.0% of pupils (England median 23%)
- Opened
- 1 June 2012
- Replaced
- St Bede's Catholic Comprehensive School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester (URN 114328)
- Address
- Consett Road, Lanchester, Durham, DH7 0RD
- Local authority
- County Durham
Data last changed 19 October 2026 · Report an error · Corrections · Sources