Sedgefield Community College, Stockton-on-Tees

Ofsted's report card from its 23 June 2026 inspection grades Sedgefield Community College on 6 areas: 6 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils take immense pride in their work."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Attendance is a considerable strength of the school."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders have embedded a highly effective, broad and ambitious curriculum across the school."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders work in close partnership with local primary schools to understand the individual needs of pupils before they join the school."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders have an astute understanding of their school, its pupils and the community it serves."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have designed a thoughtful personal development programme."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to refine and embed their identified priorities for development, in order to drive a transformational impact for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Sedgefield Community College is a thriving and happy learning community where expectations and standards are incredibly high. Sedgefield Community College is a school where our highly skilled staff body works tirelessly each day to ensure all of our exceptional students can reach their full potential."

In 2026, pupils at Sedgefield Community College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 52.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.6 in County Durham and 47 across England.

55% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 42% in County Durham and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 51.5.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.36: pupils made above 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 38.3, against 57.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 19 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Religious Studies and History.

For September 2026 entry, 201 families put Sedgefield Community College as their first choice and 322 named it as one of their preferences, for 198 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Sedgefield Community College is one of 11 schools run by The Laidlaw Schools Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.1 in 2024/25.

Of the 191 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 44% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

0.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Sedgefield Community College.

1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Community College (sw-bound), 270 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 37 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and arson and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in County Durham (84).

In 2024/25, Sedgefield Community College issued 35 suspensions, 3.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Sedgefield Community College are Sedgefield Hardwick Primary Academy (0.1 miles), Sedgefield Primary School (0.5 miles) and Fishburn Primary School (1.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.