Whitburn Church of England Academy, Sunderland

From the headteacher's welcome: "I am delighted to welcome you to Whitburn Church of England Academy, where it is my very great privilege and honour to be Principal. I feel very proud to be given the opportunity to lead such an outstanding school."

In 2026, pupils at Whitburn Church of England Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.4 in South Tyneside and 47 across England.

49% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 39% in South Tyneside and 47% in England.

That is down from 51.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.11: 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 41.5, against 51.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Business Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 241 families put Whitburn Church of England Academy as their first choice and 406 named it as one of their preferences, for 201 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 43 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Whitburn Church of England Academy are Monkwearmouth Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.8); Harton Academy (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.2); Red House Academy (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.8); and St Wilfrid's RC College (3 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 46).

Whitburn Church of England Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

147 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Whitburn Church of England Academy (as of September 2025): 80% would recommend the school, 82% say their child is happy there and 48% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (89%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (48%).

Of the 201 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 55% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

Of the 104 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 66% went on to university or other higher education, 11% to apprenticeships and 14% into work. 27% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

9.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 187 pupils (15.5%) received SEN support and 14 (1.2%) 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 Seaburn (Tyne and Wear Metro Station), about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Mill Lane - Croftside Avenue (n-bound), 180 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 36 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in South Tyneside (182).

In 2024/25, Whitburn Church of England Academy issued 180 suspensions, 14.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 7 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Whitburn Church of England Academy are Whitburn Village Primary School (0.4 miles), Marsden Primary School (0.6 miles), Seaburn Dene Primary School (1.4 miles) and Fulwell Junior School (1.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.