Berwick Academy, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Berwick-upon-Tweed. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 13th-highest of the 16 schools in Northumberland with published results, and 2,739th of 3,298 across England. It was 60% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Berwick Academy in detail
Berwick Academy in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, tennis, athletics, dance, drama, chess, Lego, gardening, eco club and art.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Berwick Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.9 in Northumberland and 47 across England.
33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Northumberland and 47% in England.
That is down from 40.3 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.85: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 31.4, against 42.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.3 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 19 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Berwick Academy
For September 2018 entry, 121 families put Berwick Academy as their first choice and 122 named it as one of their preferences, for 121 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2018 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Berwick Academy are Tweedmouth Community Middle School (0.2 miles, Good); and Berwick Middle School (1.4 miles, Good).
Where pupils go next
Of the 156 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 44% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 6% into work.
Of the 42 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 33% went on to university or other higher education, 10% to apprenticeships and 38% into work. 2% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
5.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 87 pupils (14.5%) received SEN support and 17 (2.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Berwick Academy provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Berwick upon Tweed Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Berwick Academy (at), 190 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Berwick Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Berwick Academy issued 381 suspensions, 65 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Berwick Academy are Prior Park Primary School (0.2 miles); Spittal Community Primary School (0.4 miles); Tweedmouth West Primary School (0.8 miles); and St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, Berwick (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Prior Park Primary SchoolSpittal Community Primary SchoolTweedmouth West Primary SchoolSt Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, Berwick
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2018 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Berwick Academy has made real improvements in getting pupils to attend school regularly, especially for disadvantaged students. The school has a clear curriculum that identifies what pupils need to learn and where they might need extra support. With new leadership in place, the school is focused on continuing to raise standards for all pupils.
Key Strengths
- Highly effective work to improve pupil attendance, particularly for disadvantaged students
- Well-designed curriculum that clearly sets out what pupils will learn and identifies challenging topics
- New leadership team has accelerated the pace of school improvement
- Strengthened governance with new trustees bringing diverse skills and knowledge
- Professional development for staff closely matched to school improvement priorities
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent implementation of the curriculum across lessons
- Activity choices by staff not consistently effective - some pupils not given opportunities to move on to more complex learning
- Questioning techniques to check pupil understanding not yet consistent across the school
- Explanations and examples sometimes do not ensure pupils have understood the intended learning
- Discussion opportunities for pupils sometimes too brief to deepen understanding
Berwick Academy has made progress in improving the school under new leadership, but some aspects still need further development. The school has an effective curriculum in place, though its implementation remains inconsistent.
About
Berwick Academy is a coeducational upper school and sixth form located in Berwick-upon-Tweed in the English county of Northumberland. on the border with Scotland.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
28.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.99 to -0.85 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 36.5 to 39.3 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 26% to 33% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 39.3 | 33.1% |
| Disadvantaged(47) | - | 31.4 | 12.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(107) | - | 42.7 | 42.1% |
| Boys(78) | - | 37.4 | 30.8% |
| Girls(76) | - | 41.2 | 35.5% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(8) | - | 44.5 | 37.5% |
| Non mobile(148) | - | 39.8 | 34.5% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 156 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.34%
Exclusion rate
381
Suspensions
65.02%
Suspension rate
101 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 586 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Latest from Berwick Academy
Social Media Pages
15 May 2026
Headteacher Newsletter May 2026
12 May 2026
New Build Consultation Event
2 May 2026
BAD Racing Holds Its Own at East Fortune
From Berwick Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Berwick Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Berwick Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Berwick Academy is in Northumberland; for families living there:
Apply to Northumberland for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Northumberland is 3 (the median across 175 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Berwick Academy
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
60%
Available places
572 pupils
949 places
377 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Berwick-upon-Tweed
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Berwick-upon-Tweed
Across Northumberland council
Places available
2,104
Applications
1,819
Got 1st preference
96.0%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Northumberland council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(14)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
87
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
17.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Berwick Academy provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
601
Total Pupils
319
Boys
282
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
41
Teachers
14.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,379
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,265
Per pupil
£3785k
Total funding
£148k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.7%
Overall absence
36.1%
Persistent absence
502
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Berwick Academy
What are GCSE results like at Berwick Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Berwick Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 39.3. 33% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Berwick Academy's Ofsted rating?
Berwick Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Berwick Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Berwick Academy is oversubscribed, Northumberland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Berwick Academy?
Berwick Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 60% of its 949 places.
How big are the classes at Berwick Academy?
Classes at Berwick Academy average 20.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Berwick Academy?
Berwick Academy has around 601 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Berwick Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Berwick Academy provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
What is attendance like at Berwick Academy?
11.7% of sessions were missed at Berwick Academy in 2024/25. 36.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Berwick Academy?
Apply through Northumberland's coordinated admissions process, naming Berwick Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Berwick Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Northumberland is 3 (the median across 175 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Berwick Academy?
Berwick Academy is at Adams Drive, Spittal, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 2JF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)