Hope Wood Academy, Durham
Hope Wood Academy is a special school for pupils aged 2 to 19 in Durham, part of The Ascent Academies' Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hope Wood Academy in detail
The trust
Hope Wood Academy is one of 6 schools run by The Ascent Academies' Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
56 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hope Wood Academy (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 27 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 59% to a further education college.
Who goes there
63.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 0.8% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Hope Wood Academy has an education, health and care plan (250 of 250 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Hope Wood Academy has a SEN unit for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 251 places, 283 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Horden, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Church (e-bound), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hope Wood Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 35 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in County Durham (84).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hope Wood Academy issued 4 suspensions, 1.8 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils enjoy attending this highly ambitious school. Their learning is personalised to meet their unique needs. Pupils are ambassadors for the school. They are confident communicating with visitors. Pupils happily share experiences they have in school and beyond the school gates. This includes 'student take over day'. Pupils become senior leaders, teachers, caretakers and administrative assistants. They learn valuable employability skills and recall them with pride.
Pupils' education, health and care plans (EHC plan) shape their education. Staff have high expectations about what pupils can do. As a result, pupils make exceptional progress in their learning and development. Preparation for next steps takes place from the early years through to sixth form. Pupils become increasingly independent over time. They also learn how to stay safe in a complex world.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
School and trust staff have made significant improvements to the quality of education. This includes developing distinct curriculum pathways that meet pupils' needs. Sophisticated connections link pupils' EHC plan targets to their learning. The school carefully considers what each pupil needs to learn in the curriculum. Staff expertly break down the most important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn. While doing this, they consider pupils' EHC plan targets too. Across the school, staff check pupils' progression carefully. They do this consistently well. Pupils embed and build on their learning in a highly effective way.
Careers education is carefully sequenced. For example, pupils in key stage 4 enjoy a step-by-step approach to mock interviews. Pupils progressively move from familiar contexts and people to unfamiliar ones. This incremental challenge builds pupils' confidence in an impressive way. It also contributes to their ambitious and varied destinations after Year 11 and Year 14.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2018 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
About
Hope Wood Academy is an academy based in Easington Colliery, County Durham. The school caters for pupils aged 2–19 with Special Educational Needs.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
63.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SEN unit: SpLD, Hearing, Speech and language +4
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
56 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 3 nearby schools
Keep up with Hope Wood Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hope Wood Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hope Wood Academy is in County Durham; for families living there:
- County Durham's school travel policy: School transport policies and strategies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school travel
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
2 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 County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
250 pupils
251 places
1 spare place
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Durham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Durham
Across County Durham council
Places available
5,720
Applications
4,986
Got 1st preference
94.2%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All secondary applications across County Durham council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
Ungraded inspection: The school has improved significantly.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
250
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Hope Wood Academy has a SEN unit for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 251 places, 283 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
250
Total Pupils
170
Boys
80
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
34
Teachers
7.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,792
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.5%
Overall absence
30.3%
Persistent absence
208
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 Hope Wood Academy
What are GCSE results like at Hope Wood Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Hope Wood Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 0.5. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Hope Wood Academy's Ofsted rating?
Hope Wood Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Hope Wood Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Hope Wood Academy is oversubscribed, County Durham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Hope Wood Academy?
Hope Wood Academy has around 250 pupils on roll. 64% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Hope Wood Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Hope Wood Academy has a SEN unit for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 251 places, 283 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Hope Wood Academy?
10.5% of sessions were missed at Hope Wood Academy in 2024/25. 30.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hope Wood Academy?
Apply through County Durham's coordinated admissions process, naming Hope Wood 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 Hope Wood Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 2 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 County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hope Wood Academy?
Hope Wood Academy is at Crawlaw Road, Easington Colliery, Durham, SR8 3LP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)