Ofsted: Inadequate trending_up Popular emoji_events #2 in County Durham public Top 6% UK

Tanfield School

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

personMr Steven Clough

corporate_fareEDEN LEARNING TRUST

location_onStanley, DH9 8AY

language Visit Website phone 1207232881

verified

Ofsted

Inadequate

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

701

trending_up

Attainment 8

57.5

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GCSE Rank

#2 in County Durham

#337 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Tanfield School is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Stanley, serving ages 11-16. Currently rated Inadequate by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.5×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Tanfield School is an academy sponsor led in Stanley, County Durham, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of EDEN LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 702 pupils on roll, of whom 33% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 57.5, placing the school #2 in County Durham and #337 of 3,216 nationally. 72.20% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 31.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Inadequate. 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 1.5× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.2:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.0 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

57.5

Grade 5+ E&M

72.20%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)31.9%

Entering EBacc52.20%

EBacc APS4.95

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.83

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc43.20%

EBacc APS4.41

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.66

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc42%

EBacc APS4.66

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.4

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS4.29

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc31%

EBacc APS-

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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

85%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

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

Apprenticeships5%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

24 September 2024

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2024-09-24

Academy First Section 5 EIF

Not Judged

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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

2019-02-05

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2016-11-09

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

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

1.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.4%(3 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 702 pupils. During this period, there were 7 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.0%, 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)	702	7	1.0%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	711	7	1.0%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	705	2	0.3%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	710	4	0.6%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	712	5	0.7%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	698	15	2.1%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	701	8	1.1%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	702	5	0.7%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	688	7	1.0%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	683	9	1.3%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	684	11	1.6%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	655	8	1.2%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	658	4	0.6%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	668	15	2.2%	3.9%	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.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 37 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 34 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 28 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 11 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

87.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

94.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

18.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree71%

agree26%

disagree3%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree69%

agree28%

disagree1%

strongly disagree1%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree47%

agree17%

disagree7%

strongly disagree4%

don't know1%

not applicable24%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes25%

no75%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree56%

agree28%

disagree17%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree81%

agree18%

strongly disagree1%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree64%

agree28%

disagree6%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree57%

agree38%

disagree6%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree65%

agree32%

disagree1%

don't know1%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree53%

agree33%

disagree4%

don't know10%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree54%

agree35%

disagree6%

strongly disagree3%

don't know3%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes93%

no7%

Top Secondary Schools in County Durham

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham

Requires improvement

location_on Durham, DH1 4NG

emoji_events #1 in LA

Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

Outstanding

location_on Durham, DH1 4SU

emoji_events #3 in LA

Belmont Community School

Good

location_on Durham, DH1 2AG

emoji_events #4 in LA

The Academy at Shotton Hall

Outstanding

location_on Peterlee, SR8 1AU

emoji_events #5 in LA

Easington Academy

Good

location_on Peterlee, SR8 3AY

emoji_events #6 in LA

Sedgefield Community College

Outstanding

location_on Stockton-on-Tees, TS21 3DD

emoji_events #7 in LA

View all schools in County Durham arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in County Durham

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham

Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

Belmont Community School

The Academy at Shotton Hall

Easington Academy

Sedgefield Community College