Kepier, Houghton le Spring

Ofsted's report card from its 16 June 2026 inspection grades Kepier on 6 areas: 1 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders and staff know their pupils incredibly well."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Teachers make sure that pupils generally produce high-quality work across the curriculum."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders prioritise improving school attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders understand the strengths and areas for development across the curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify the needs of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), quickly and accurately."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders know their school and their pupils very well."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teachers check precisely on what pupils can do to ensure that new learning builds carefully on previous knowledge across all curriculum subject areas to prevent pupils having gaps in their knowledge"; "Leaders should ensure actions taken to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence are monitored and evaluated carefully to ensure that all pupils are supported to attend school regularly to fully benefit from their education and achieve well"; "Leaders should ensure that their professional learning programme precisely reflects the school's improvement plan objectives, so that staff are prepared and equipped to contribute to school improvement priorities across all areas of the school".

In its own words: "There’s a real buzz around our school; an excitement about the whole process of learning. Through everything we do, learners are encouraged to develop as unique individuals. We give them the confidence to voice what they truly want from life, and the capacity to go out and get it."

In 2026, pupils at Kepier averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.8 in Sunderland and 47 across England.

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

That is up from 43.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.29: 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 38.4, against 52.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Statistics, Combined Science and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 285 families put Kepier as their first choice and 372 named it as one of their preferences, for 257 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 35 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Kepier are Hetton Academy (1.6 miles, Attainment 8 52.2); Farringdon Community Academy (2.9 miles, Attainment 8 46.2); Sandhill View Academy (3.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.1); and St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington (3.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.8).

Kepier's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Kepier is one of 10 schools run by Eden Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.3 in 2024/25.

Of the 204 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 52% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

37.8% 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.

In 2026, 220 pupils (19.5%) received SEN support and 20 (1.8%) 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.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Kepier.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Houghton Kepier School (n-bound), 60 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Kepier stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Kepier issued 265 suspensions, 23.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 15 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Kepier are Bernard Gilpin Primary School (0.3 miles); St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton (0.3 miles); Burnside Academy Inspires (0.5 miles); and Gillas Lane Primary Academy (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.