1
The Academy at Shotton Hall
Peterlee • County Durham • SR8 1AU
1
9 Sep 2024
Top 10 Secondary schools in County Durham
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the district of County Durham. 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
30
Outstanding
4
Good
19
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 15% · G: 70% · RI: 15% · I: 0%
2
Teesdale School and Sixth Form
Barnard Castle • DL12 8HH
1
9 Jul 2019
3
Sedgefield Community College
Stockton-on-Tees • County Durham • TS21 3DD
1
6 Apr 2017
4
Durham Johnston Comprehensive School
Durham • County Durham • DH1 4SU
1
6 Mar 2015
5
Bishop Barrington Academy
Bishop Auckland • County Durham • DL14 6LA
2
29 Sep 2024
6
Hermitage Academy
Chester le Street • County Durham • DH2 3AD
2
19 May 2024
7
UTC South Durham
Newton Aycliffe • County Durham • DL5 6AP
2
24 Apr 2024
8
Dene Academy
Peterlee • County Durham • SR8 5RL
2
18 Jan 2024
9
Parkside Academy
Crook • County Durham • DL15 0QF
2
19 Oct 2023
10
Seaham High School
Seaham • County Durham • SR7 0BH
2
28 Sep 2023
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
- Consett Academy 2 • Jun 2023
- Whitworth Park Academy 2 • Nov 2022
- North Durham Academy 2 • Sep 2022
- Staindrop Academy 2 • Nov 2021
- Belmont Community School 2 • Mar 2019
- St John's Catholic School & Sixth Form College 2 • Mar 2019
- Wellfield School 2 • Jul 2018
- Woodham Academy 2 • Jun 2018
- King James I Academy Bishop Auckland 2 • May 2017
- St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College 2 • Mar 2017