Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #23 in County Durham public Top 30% UK

King James I Academy Bishop Auckland

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

personMr Simon Whitehead

corporate_fareEDEN LEARNING TRUST

location_onBishop Auckland, DL14 7JZ

language Visit Website phone 1388603388

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

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Students

973

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Attainment 8

43.9

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GCSE Rank

#23 in County Durham

#1,954 of 3,216 nationally

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King James I Academy Bishop Auckland is a Academy converter secondary school in Bishop Auckland, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

King James I Academy Bishop Auckland is an academy converter in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of EDEN LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 926 pupils on roll, of whom 51% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 43.9, placing the school #23 in County Durham and #1,954 of 3,216 nationally. 28.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 8.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 10 A-level subjects. 45.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 14.9% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.18 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 13.6:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 4.3 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

43.9

Grade 5+ E&M

28.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)8.0%

Entering EBacc22.40%

EBacc APS3.53

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13.40%

EBacc APS3.29

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.16

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS3.49

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc4%

EBacc APS3.81

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc12%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc3%

EBacc APS3.32

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc7%

EBacc APS3.53

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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

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

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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

-0.18

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*4.1%

Achieving A*–A14.9%

Achieving A*–B45.9%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate77.4%

A-level subjects offered10

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.02

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate0.00%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate78.90%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate83.3%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

16 February 2022

Inspection Report

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28 March 2017

Inspection Report

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14 April 2015

Inspection Report

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16 May 2012

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2017-03-28

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-04-14

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

4.9%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.9%(27 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 926 pupils. During this period, there were 45 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.9%, 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)	926	45	4.9%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	957	35	3.7%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	949	24	2.5%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	962	29	3.0%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	979	48	4.9%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	946	47	5.0%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	973	53	5.4%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	985	71	7.2%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	944	52	5.5%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	955	81	8.5%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	969	35	3.6%	4.4%	2
2020/21 (Summer term)	944	50	5.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	944	20	2.1%	1.0%	1
2020/21 (Autumn term)	958	64	6.7%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	909	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	909	44	4.8%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	912	72	7.9%	4.2%	3
2018/19 (Summer term)	847	84	9.9%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	855	33	3.9%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	867	34	3.9%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	774	33	4.3%	3.4%	2
2017/18 (Spring term)	772	7	0.9%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	779	28	3.6%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	727	25	3.4%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	727	15	2.1%	3.3%	2
2016/17 (Autumn term)	729	19	2.6%	3.1%	2

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.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 84 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 61 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 31 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 23 pupils

Hearing Impairment 7 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils