St Aidan's Church of England Academy, Darlington

In 2026, pupils at St Aidan's Church of England Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.6 in Darlington and 47 across England.

41% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 42% in Darlington and 47% in England.

That is up from 40 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.96: pupils made well 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 33.8, against 48.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 19 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Religious Studies and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 76 families put St Aidan's Church of England Academy as their first choice and 124 named it as one of their preferences, for 83 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 St Aidan's Church of England Academy are Haughton Academy (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 42.3); Polam Hall School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.9); Longfield Academy (1.8 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 39.8); and Carmel College (2.2 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 52.7).

St Aidan's Church of England Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

St Aidan's Church of England Academy is one of 12 schools run by Northern Lights Learning Trust, an academy trust.

33 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Aidan's Church of England Academy (as of September 2025): 67% would recommend the school, 73% say their child is happy there and 44% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (73%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (44%).

Of the 122 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 71% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 47% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

45.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 12.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (76%) and Black (12%).

The nearest railway station is Darlington Rail Station - main ent, about 960 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cobden Street (o), 270 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 540 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Darlington (281), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Aidan's Church of England Academy issued 417 suspensions, 70.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to St Aidan's Church of England Academy are Heathfield Primary School (0.2 miles), St Teresa's Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles), The Rydal Academy (0.6 miles) and St John's Church of England Academy (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.