Bede Academy - The School Companion

Bede Academy

Northumberland · NE24 2SY

General information All-through School · 3-18 years Who goes here 2030 pupils, 24.6% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 13.3% on SEN support Behaviour 6.2% absence rate Staff 12.2% turnover Financials £6,787 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Bede Academy

General Information

Address: Sixth Avenue, Blyth, NE24 2SY – View on map
Phone: 01670545111
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Shayne Elsworth
Age range: 3-18 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 174 families put it first for 131 places – 13 for every 10 places. 75% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 15 · 2024 16 · 2025 12 · 2026 13
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 73 families put it first for 74 places – 10 for every 10 places. 99% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 11 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Christian
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

2030 pupils out of 1780 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 435
% eligible for free school meals: 24.6%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (similar to the Northumberland average)
English as an additional language: 4% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 12.2% a year (Northumberland 12.7%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 39% moved to another school, 61% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Northumberland: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 39 (1.8 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 30 (1.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 22 (1.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Northumberland, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.2%
Persistently absent pupils: 13.9%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 13.3%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.0%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 104 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 47 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 35 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 31 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 21 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 21 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 16 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 10 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 6 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 5 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

SecondaryGCSE results, Year 11

Attainment 8 score: 48.9
Compared with the area: 3.0 points above the Northumberland average (45.9)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (+5.0 points against an expected 43.9)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 69% (Northumberland 66%, England 65%) Improving
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolNorthumberland averageEngland↗ Improving Up 7.6 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 3.0 points above the Northumberland average (45.9).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

5th of 16 all-through schools in Northumberland for Attainment 8

#3Queen Elizabeth High School50.7
#4The Blyth Academy49.2
#5Bede Academy48.9
#6Bedlington Academy47.4
#7Ashington Academy47.1

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Ponteland High School53.0
#2The King Edward VI School52.2
#3Queen Elizabeth High School50.7
#4The Blyth Academy49.2
#5Bede Academy48.9
#6Bedlington Academy47.4
#7Ashington Academy47.1
#8Cramlington Learning Village46.7
#9Prudhoe Community High School46.6
#10Seaton Valley High School43.2
#11The Duchess's Community High School43.2
#12St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy41.3
#13Berwick Academy40.3
#14Haydon Bridge High School35.1
#15Coquet Community School34.9
#16NCEA Duke's Secondary School32.0

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 88.0%
Went into further education: 79.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Religious Studies
Science Double Award
Geography
French Language
History
Art & Design
Chemistry (General)
Biology
Physics (General)
Statistics
D & T
Sports Studies
Music Studies (General)
Chinese
Persian Language

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

PrimaryYear 6 SATs results

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 69% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 14% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 8 percentage points above the Northumberland average (61%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 77% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 77%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 91% · Writing 72% · Maths 88% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 82%
Average test scores: reading 109, maths 108
Based on: 85 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolNorthumberland averageEngland↘ Falling Down 10 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 8 percentage points above the Northumberland average (61%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 19th of 58 junior and primary schools in the area

=15Ss Peter and Paul's Catholic Primary Academy71%
#18Ponteland Primary School70%
=19Bede Academy69%
=19Heddon-on-the-Wall, St Andrew's Church of England Primary School69%
=21Hareside Primary School68%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe94%
=2Meadowdale Academy83%
=2Swarland Primary School83%
#4NCEA Warkworth Church of England Primary School82%
=5Burnside Primary School80%
=5St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Ashington80%
#7Horton Grange Primary School79%
=8Cramlington Northburn Primary School78%
=8Darras Hall Primary School78%
=8Ellington Primary School78%
=8Henshaw Church of England Primary School78%
#12Belford Primary School75%
=13Haltwhistle Primary Academy72%
=13NCEA James Knott CofE Primary School72%
=15Belsay Primary School71%
=15Cragside CofE Controlled Primary School71%
=15Ss Peter and Paul's Catholic Primary Academy71%
#18Ponteland Primary School70%
=19Bede Academy69%
=19Heddon-on-the-Wall, St Andrew's Church of England Primary School69%
=21Hareside Primary School68%
=21St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Alnwick68%
=23Croftway Academy67%
=23Hipsburn Primary School67%
=23Richard Coates Church of England Primary School67%
=23Ringway Primary School67%
=23Wark Church of England Primary School67%
#28St Bede's Catholic Primary School66%
#29Ponteland Community Primary School65%
=30Felton Church of England Primary School64%
=30Morpeth Road Academy64%
#32Malvin's Close Academy63%
=33Choppington Primary School62%
=33Seahouses Primary School62%
=35Cramlington Shanklea Primary School61%
=35Cramlington Village Primary School61%
=35Stamfordham Primary School61%
#38Pegswood Primary School58%
#39Bedlington West End Primary School57%
#40Eastlea Primary School55%
=41Greenhead Church of England Nursery and Primary School50%
=41Newbrough Church of England Primary School50%
=41Whittingham Church of England Primary School50%
=44Allendale Primary School47%
=44St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School47%
#46Stead Lane Primary School46%
#47Cambois Primary School45%
=48Bedlington Station Primary School43%
=48New Delaval Primary School43%
=48Newsham Primary School43%
=51Beaconhill Community Primary School41%
=51Mowbray Primary School41%
=51NCEA Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School41%
#54NCEA Bishop's Primary School36%
#55Stakeford Primary School32%
#56Bedlington Whitley Memorial Church of England Primary School31%
#57NCEA William Leech CofE Primary School29%
#58NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School24%

View full Ofsted inspection report

2nd of 20 all-through schools in Northumberland for Ofsted rating

#1Ashington AcademyGood
#2Bede AcademyGood
#3Bedlington AcademyGood
#4Bellingham Middle School and Sports CollegeGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Ashington AcademyGood
#2Bede AcademyGood
#3Bedlington AcademyGood
#4Bellingham Middle School and Sports CollegeGood
#5Coquet Community SchoolGood
#6Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle SchoolGood
#7Hexham Middle SchoolGood
#8Highfield Middle SchoolGood
#9Ovingham Middle SchoolGood
#10Ponteland High SchoolGood
#11Prudhoe Community High SchoolGood
#12Queen Elizabeth High SchoolGood
#13Seaton Sluice Middle SchoolGood
#14Seaton Valley High SchoolGood
#15St Benet Biscop Catholic AcademyGood
#16St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, HexhamGood
#17The Blyth AcademyGood
#18Berwick AcademyRequires improvement
#19NCEA Duke's Secondary SchoolRequires improvement
#20The Duchess's Community High SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,787 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

24th of 27 all-through schools in Northumberland for spending per pupil

#22Corbridge Middle School£7,122
#23Hexham Middle School£6,883
#24Bede Academy£6,787
#25Ovingham Middle School£6,663
#26Morpeth Chantry Middle School£6,410

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Bellingham Middle School and Sports College£14,226
#2Prudhoe Community High School£9,516
#3Coquet Community School£9,013
#4The Blyth Academy£8,821
#5Seaton Valley High School£8,671
#6Berwick Academy£8,428
#7The Duchess's Community High School£8,338
#8Haydon Bridge High School£8,319
#9St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham£8,022
#10NCEA Duke's Secondary School£7,972
#11The King Edward VI School£7,965
#12St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy£7,935
#13Queen Elizabeth High School£7,782
#14Whytrig Middle School£7,570
#15Cramlington Learning Village£7,551
#16Highfield Middle School£7,458
#17Ashington Academy£7,435
#18Bedlington Academy£7,400
#19Ponteland High School£7,361
#20Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle School£7,275
#21Seaton Sluice Middle School£7,183
#22Corbridge Middle School£7,122
#23Hexham Middle School£6,883
#24Bede Academy£6,787
#25Ovingham Middle School£6,663
#26Morpeth Chantry Middle School£6,410
#27Morpeth Newminster Middle School£6,315

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Northumberland: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Year 6 SATs ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered