Biddick Academy, Washington

Ofsted's report card from its 10 March 2026 inspection grades Biddick Academy on 6 areas: 4 strong standard and 2 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders' actions have significantly improved attendance."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have built a culture of inclusion in the school."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders at this school have brought about rapid and lasting improvement."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have created a highly effective personal development programme that runs through daily life in the school."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages in tests and assessments at the end of key stage 4."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear understanding of how well the curriculum and teaching are working."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to fully embed the new curriculum to further improve outcomes for pupils".

In 2026, pupils at Biddick Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.8 in Sunderland and 47 across England.

56% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Sunderland and 47% in England.

That is up from 42.5 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.25: pupils made 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 39.7, against 51.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and History.

For September 2026 entry, 180 families put Biddick Academy as their first choice and 374 named it as one of their preferences, for 193 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Biddick Academy are St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington (0.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.8); Oxclose Community Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.7); Washington Academy (1.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 41); and Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.2).

Biddick Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Biddick Academy is one of 15 schools run by North East Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.9 in 2024/25.

161 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Biddick Academy (as of April 2026): 53% would recommend the school, 55% say their child is happy there and 30% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (59%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (30%).

Of the 222 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 80% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 55% to a further education college, 7% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

1.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

Biddick Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 35 places, 29 pupils on roll.

The nearest tram or metro stop is South Hylton (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Biddick Lane-School (s-bound), 50 metres away.

In 2024/25, Biddick Academy issued 747 suspensions, 69.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 18 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Biddick Academy are Biddick Primary School (0.4 miles), John F Kennedy Primary School (0.5 miles), Fatfield Academy (0.5 miles) and Wessington Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.