Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #3 in County Durham public Top 8% UK

Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Andrew O'Sullivan

location_onDurham, DH1 4SU

language Visit Website phone 1913843887

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,673

trending_up

Attainment 8

55.2

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GCSE Rank

#3 in County Durham

#458 of 3,216 nationally

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Durham Johnston Comprehensive School is a Community school secondary school in Durham, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.4×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Durham Johnston Comprehensive School is a community school in Durham, County Durham, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 1,688 pupils on roll, of whom 16% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 55.2, placing the school #3 in County Durham and #458 of 3,216 nationally. 62.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 33.3% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 29 A-level subjects. 67.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 38.6% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.12 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.4× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 4.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

55.2

Grade 5+ E&M

62.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)33.3%

Entering EBacc29.50%

EBacc APS4.77

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.18

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27.80%

EBacc APS4.96

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc26%

EBacc APS4.76

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc31%

EBacc APS5

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc29%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.18

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39%

EBacc APS4.96

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.28

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc43%

EBacc APS5.01

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.12

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

185

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*13.8%

Achieving A*–A38.6%

Achieving A*–B67.9%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate98.4%

A-level subjects offered29

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.27

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

168

Retention rate95.80%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

174

Retention rate94.80%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

199

Retention rate97.5%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

04 February 2025

Inspection Report

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11 February 2015

Inspection Report

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15 February 2011

Inspection Report

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04 October 2007

Inspection Report

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02 November 2006

Inspection Report

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11 May 2004

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-02-04

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Good

2015-02-11

Exempt School Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2011-02-15

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

4.3%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.7%(45 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,688 pupils. During this period, there were 72 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.3%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,688	72	4.3%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,688	66	3.9%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,690	55	3.3%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,688	54	3.2%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,688	25	1.5%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,670	81	4.9%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,672	64	3.8%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,673	62	3.7%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,692	50	3.0%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,690	34	2.0%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,697	28	1.6%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,692	36	2.1%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,691	8	0.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,693	28	1.7%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,667	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,668	21	1.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,664	31	1.9%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,637	18	1.1%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,640	29	1.8%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,641	34	2.1%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,602	32	2.0%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,601	25	1.6%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,601	14	0.9%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,599	16	1.0%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,601	25	1.6%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,610	14	0.9%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 36 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 32 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 30 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 17 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 15 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

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Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in County Durham

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham

Tanfield School

Belmont Community School

The Academy at Shotton Hall

Easington Academy

Sedgefield Community College