Farringdon Community Academy, Sunderland

Ofsted's report card from its 9 June 2026 inspection grades Farringdon Community Academy on 6 areas: 2 strong standard and 4 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders have made significant, well-considered changes to the curriculum taught at the school."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have a very clear understanding of the context of their school and the pupils it serves."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils' achievement is typically very positive."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils' attendance has improved over time."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders are dedicated to improving pupils' educational opportunities."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school's personal development programme is very well considered."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that pupils consistently achieve highly across all curriculum subjects and that this is reflected in above-average outcomes in national tests and examinations over time"; "Leaders should ensure that attendance improves rapidly so that it is in line with national averages or above them, including for identified groups, and that persistent absence continues to fall"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils develop a secure and detailed knowledge across the personal, social, health and economic curriculum, including about their future employment and education opportunities, so that they are very well prepared for life beyond school".

In 2026, pupils at Farringdon Community Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.8 in Sunderland and 47 across England.

58% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Sunderland and 47% in England.

That is up from 44.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.04: pupils made about 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 40.8, against 49.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Health Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 202 families put Farringdon Community Academy as their first choice and 267 named it as one of their preferences, for 207 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 Farringdon Community Academy are Sandhill View Academy (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 41.1); Venerable Bede Church of England Academy (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.1); Christ's College (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.8); and Academy 360 (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 29.1).

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

Farringdon Community Academy is one of 30 schools run by Northern Education Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.5 in 2024/25.

Of the 141 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 78% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 66% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

42.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 1.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

Farringdon Community Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 30 places, 58 pupils on roll.

The nearest tram or metro stop is South Hylton (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 2.3 miles away in a straight line.

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Allendale Road-Ashdown Road (ne-bound), 100 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Farringdon Community Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Farringdon Community Academy issued 958 suspensions, 141.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 10 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Farringdon Community Academy are Farringdon Academy (0.3 miles), East Herrington Primary Academy (0.4 miles), Hasting Hill Academy (0.6 miles) and Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.