Sunderland school boasts outstanding inspections and exam results – among strongest in the North East

In June the school was visited by OFSTED and after two days of rigorous inspection, Ofsted concluded that the academy demonstrated outstanding practise in all descriptors and categories of the Ofsted framework stating that, ‘the school would be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded inspection’.

Shortly after the Ofsted visit, St Aidan’s received a full Catholic Schools Inspection - including a full review of provision - and was judged outstanding in the following areas; Catholic Life and Mission, Religious Education and Collective Worship. The final report of this robust process is a testament to the community at St. Aidan’s:

“All staff are outstanding rolemodels in promoting servant leadership. They have worked hard to establish a culture of respect within the school, which reaches into the wider community and is valued by pupils.”

Outstanding exam results

As well as this, 2022-23 brought outstanding results for the pupils with attainment and progress again being amongst the strongest in the North East. Nationally 24% of GCSE entries were awarded grades 9-7 (equivalent to an A*-A) in 2023 but St. Aidan’s boys significantly surpassed this at 30%.

Its verified data shows that boys at the school perform significantly above local and national data in progress, attainment, English, Maths, Ebaccalaureate subjects and vocational subjects. This means that St. Aidan’s pupils make outstanding progress from their starting points in all areas.

Striving for excellence

“This level of excellence doesn’t happen by accident,” explains headteacher Glenn Sanderson[HT1] . “All stakeholders work extremely hard, living and breathing the Academy’s core values, dedicating time to their studies and climbing to the top of their mountains”

He said, more importantly, the grades achieved opened doors, enabling pupils to continue their journeys either academically or to pursue a good career.

“At St Aidan’s there are the highest of expectations for every individual and the practices and routines demand and nurture a strong sense of moral purpose, personal responsibility, integrity, honesty and respect for others.

“These core values underpin all aspects of school life and ensure that pupils are ready not just for exams, but for the 21st century world. All staff at St Aidan’s believe that every pupil who steps through the doors, regardless of background or ability is capable of excellence and this is also borne out in the school’s results: SEND pupils achieved on average half a grade higher than their Key Stage 4 predictions. This was a ringing endorsement for the nurture and care St Aidan’s provides for its pupils, whilst also guaranteeing pupils opportunity and gateways beyond secondary education.”

School improvements

St Aidan’s is also delighted to announce it has been prioritised for the government’s School Rebuilding Programme. St Aidan's, part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust (BCCET), will have one or more of its buildings replaced or refurbished.

The new buildings will transform the learning environment and support teachers in continuing to deliver a high-quality education for decades to come.

Mr Sanderson said: “The new build will provide St Aidan’s with a fantastic opportunity to bring together pupils from age 11 to 18 for the first time, in one state of the art building. This will have a transformational impact on the lives of our young people and the communities we serve.

“We’ve been working collaboratively with the wider Trust and several external partners behind the scenes for some time now and are delighted to be able to finally share this news. The new build will provide all members of the community a much-needed boost after the difficulties of the pandemic; It is great to have something exciting and positive to look forward to which will bring significant benefits to the local community for generations to come. We will finally have world class buildings to complement the world class education we provide.”

To find out more about the school visit the website here.