Town End Academy, Sunderland
Town End Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Sunderland, part of Wise Academies. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 38th-highest of the 43 schools in Sunderland with published results, and 10,716th of 14,452 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sunderland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Town End Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils at Town End Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 78% in Sunderland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 75% in reading and 75% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Town End Academy
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put Town End Academy as their first choice and 28 named it as one of their preferences, for 18 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Town End Academy are Bexhill Academy (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 78% reading, 81% maths); St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland (0.3 miles, 64% reading, 64% maths); Hylton Castle Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 67% reading, 63% maths); and Castletown Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 82% reading, 82% maths).
Town End Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Bexhill AcademySt John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, SunderlandHylton Castle Primary SchoolCastletown Primary School
The trust
Town End Academy is one of 18 schools run by Wise Academies, an academy trust.
What parents say
38 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Town End Academy (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (78%).
Who goes there
41.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 3.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 52 pupils (23.9%) received SEN support and 15 (6.9%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is South Hylton (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Baxter Road - Berwick Avenue (sw-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Town End Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Town End Academy issued 2 suspensions, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Town End Academy are Castle View Enterprise Academy (0.9 miles) and Red House Academy (1.5 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Town End Academy is a welcoming school where children thrive academically and socially. Staff have high expectations and know every child well, providing warm support that helps pupils feel valued and confident. The school prioritises reading and early foundation skills while offering a broad, ambitious curriculum that prepares children well for life in modern Britain.
Key Strengths
- Warm relationships between staff and pupils create a calm, purposeful learning environment where children feel safe and confident
- Strong focus on reading and phonics with consistent progress in national phonics tests
- Well-designed broad curriculum that builds knowledge and vocabulary, with good teaching of foundational skills in early years
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and inclusive practices that help all learners access learning
- High expectations for behaviour and attendance, with pupils showing excellent engagement and responsibility for their own conduct
Areas for Improvement
- In mathematics, staff do not always use assessment precisely enough to identify and extend learning for more able pupils who understand content quickly
- Some subjects, particularly mathematics, could benefit from more precise checking of knowledge to help pupils develop deeper understanding
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong safeguarding culture and staff knowledge of pupil concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Gardening club, book club, sporting activities, anti-bullying ambassador roles, school council, reading with younger pupils, trust's Childhood Pledge experiences, breakfast club
Town End Academy is a friendly and happy primary school where pupils feel safe and loved. The school has maintained its good standards and made effective improvements, particularly in phonics teaching and curriculum design.
At a Glance
41.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
38 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 75% to 65% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.1
Avg class size
22.7
Infant (KS1)
26.8
KS2
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Town End Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Town End Academy.
- Community Kids Club CIC950m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Town End Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Town End Academy is in Sunderland; for families living there:
Apply to Sunderland for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
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 Sunderland is 13 (the median across 125 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
Your chances of a place at Town End Academy
Will you get a place at Town End Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Town End Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Town End Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Town End Academy.
- Sunderland publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Town End Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Town End Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Sunderland got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
85%
Available places
179 pupils
210 places
31 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sunderland
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sunderland
Across Sunderland council
Places available
3,430
Applications
2,737
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Sunderland council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
30.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
218
Total Pupils
109
Boys
109
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
19.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,586
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,232
Per pupil
£1336k
Total funding
£118k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
9.8%
Persistent absence
164
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Town End Academy
Questions parents ask about Town End Academy
What are SATs results like at Town End Academy?
Of the pupils at Town End Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 65% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Town End Academy's Ofsted rating?
Town End Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Town End Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Town End Academy is oversubscribed, Sunderland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Town End Academy?
Town End Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Town End Academy?
Classes at Town End Academy average 23.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Town End Academy?
Town End Academy has around 218 pupils on roll. 41% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Town End Academy?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Town End Academy in 2024/25. 9.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Town End Academy?
Apply through Sunderland's coordinated admissions process, naming Town End Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Town End Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Town End Academy: Community Kids Club CIC (950m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Town End Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 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 Sunderland is 13 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Town End Academy?
Town End Academy is at Borodin Avenue, Town End Farm, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR5 4NX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)