1
Thornhill Academy
Sunderland • Tyne and Wear • SR2 7NA
2
19 Jun 2024
Top 10 Secondary schools in Sunderland
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the local authority of Sunderland. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
16
Outstanding
0
Good
12
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 0% · G: 86% · RI: 14% · I: 0%
2
Monkwearmouth Academy
Sunderland • SR6 8LG
2
18 Dec 2023
3
Castle View Enterprise Academy
Sunderland • Tyne and Wear • SR5 3DX
2
13 Sep 2023
4
St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy
Sunderland • Tyne and Wear • SR2 7JN
2
12 Mar 2023
5
Kepier
Houghton le Spring • Tyne and Wear • DH4 5BH
2
8 May 2022
6
Biddick Academy
Washington • Tyne and Wear • NE38 8AL
2
3 Feb 2022
7
Sandhill View Academy
Sunderland • Tyne and Wear • SR3 4EN
2
22 Nov 2021
8
Red House Academy
Sunderland • Tyne and Wear • SR5 5LN
2
2 Feb 2020
9
St Aidan's Catholic Academy
Sunderland • Tyne and Wear • SR2 7HJ
2
6 Feb 2018
10
Southmoor Academy
Sunderland • Tyne and Wear • SR2 7TF
2
26 Jan 2018
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- Venerable Bede Church of England Academy 2 • Jun 2016
- St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington 2 • Mar 2012
- Washington Academy 3 • Apr 2024
- Farringdon Community Academy 3 • Mar 2023
- Hetton Academy Not judged • Jan 2025
- Oxclose Community Academy Not judged • Dec 2024