Washington Academy, Washington

Ofsted's report card from its 21 April 2026 inspection grades Washington Academy on 6 areas: 4 expected standard and 2 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders understand what they do well and what needs to improve within the curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify pupils' needs quickly and accurately, including the needs of disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those known to children's social care."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Pupil-focused leadership is improving the school over time."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders' work to ensure pupils respect others' values is evident in the culture of the school."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils' achievement in national tests and examinations has been low over time."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Leaders have a detailed and accurate understanding of barriers to positive attendance in the school."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should build upon and sustain improvements in pupils' attendance over time, ensuring more pupils consistently benefit from the high-quality provision in school"; "Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is consistent across all subjects and embeds pupils' learning over time, helping them to achieve as well as their peers nationally"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers make carefully chosen, subject‑specific adaptations to learning activities that meet the individual needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities".

In its own words: "We have the highest expectations for our students, staff, parents/carers and governing body in working with us as a true community to continually seek best practice and improve the provision for our students, and in turn are extremely proud of all of our students."

From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of our entire school community, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Washington Academy. All our staff at Washington are fully committed to ensuring that all our students have the opportunity and experiences that will ensure our young people are happy and successful in their next steps."

In 2026, pupils at Washington Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.8 in Sunderland and 47 across England.

38% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Sunderland and 47% in England.

That is up from 33.1 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.99: 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 39.8, against 43 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 3.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 105 families put Washington Academy as their first choice and 156 named it as one of their preferences, for 108 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 Washington Academy are Biddick Academy (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.2); Oxclose Community Academy (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.7); St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.8); and Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.2).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Washington Academy.

Washington Academy is one of 8 schools run by Consilium Academies, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.6 in 2024/25.

24 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Washington Academy (as of April 2026): 92% would recommend the school, 88% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (92%); the weakest, that they are kept well informed about progress (58%).

Of the 154 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 71% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 64% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

58.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 3.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 157 pupils (25%) received SEN support and 46 (7.3%) 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.

Washington Academy has a resourced provision for moderate learning difficulties: 20 places, 27 pupils on roll.

The nearest tram or metro stop is South Hylton (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Spout Lane (s-bound), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Washington Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 227 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, Washington Academy issued 465 suspensions, 78.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 7 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Washington Academy are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington (0.4 miles); Albany Village Primary School (0.5 miles); Usworth Colliery Primary School (0.6 miles); and Wessington Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.