Southmoor Academy, Sunderland

In its own words: "Choosing the right school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make. Like all parents and carers, you want your child to feel safe, valued and confident-while also receiving an excellent education that prepares them for a happy and successful future. At Southmoor Academy, our students are always the central characters in the story."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Southmoor Academy. We are a large and successful 11-18 academy with a strong sense of community, aspiration and achievement. This is reflected in our motto ‘Aspire, Achieve, Enjoy’. Southmoor is one of the city’s highest performing non - faith academies and the lead sponsor within a Multi Academy Trust. Southmoor goes far beyond striving for academic excellence."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include drama, photography and cadets.

Coming up: an admissions event on Saturday 31 October 2026, an admissions event on Friday 13 November 2026 and an admissions event on Friday 27 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Southmoor Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.8 in Sunderland and 47 across England.

50% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Sunderland and 47% in England.

That is down from 49 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.28: 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 36.7, against 52.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 27 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.

For September 2026 entry, 237 families put Southmoor Academy as their first choice and 409 named it as one of their preferences, for 238 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 15 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Southmoor Academy are St Aidan's Catholic Academy (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 53.6); Thornhill Academy (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.8); St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.1); and Venerable Bede Church of England Academy (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.1).

Southmoor Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Southmoor Academy is one of 2 schools run by Aspire North East Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

199 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Southmoor Academy (as of April 2026): 96% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 62% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (62%).

Of the 236 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 50% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 96 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 76% went on to university or other higher education, 5% to apprenticeships and 10% into work. 34% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

34.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (86%) and Asian (6%).

In 2026, 253 pupils (18.1%) received SEN support and 11 (0.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Park Lane (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is South Moor School (ne-bound), 110 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 355 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Sunderland (148), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Southmoor Academy issued 29 suspensions, 2.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Southmoor Academy are Hill View Junior Academy (0.3 miles), Grangetown Primary School (0.4 miles), Valley Road Academy (0.5 miles) and Hill View Infant Academy (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.