Schools in Sunderland
116 state-funded schools, 41,818 pupils. 97.3% of those carrying an Ofsted grade are Good or Outstanding, including 15 rated Outstanding.
Ofsted Management Information, Feb 2026. Grades are the current published rating, which may pre-date the school’s most recent visit.
Ofsted grades
3 schools have been inspected under Ofsted's post-September-2024 report-card framework, which replaces the single 1–4 grade with separate judgments. Those are excluded from the percentages above rather than mapped onto the old scale, because the two scales have no clean equivalence.
Quick answers
How many schools are there in Sunderland?
Sunderland has 116 state-funded schools teaching 41,818 pupils. 81 primary, 18 secondary, 7 nursery.
What percentage of schools in Sunderland are Good or Outstanding?
97.3% of the 113 schools carrying an Ofsted grade in Sunderland are rated Good or Outstanding: 15 Outstanding and 95 Good. 3 require improvement and 0 are rated Inadequate.
Which schools in Sunderland are rated Outstanding?
15 schools are currently rated Outstanding by Ofsted in Sunderland: Bernard Gilpin Primary School, Bexhill Academy, Fulwell Junior School, Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy, Barnwell Academy, St Paul's CofE Primary School, and 9 more listed below.
Rated Outstanding
Ofsted’s highest grade. Largest first; a grade can be several years old, so the year is shown.
- Bernard Gilpin Primary SchoolPrimary422Outstanding 2022
- Bexhill AcademyPrimary361Outstanding 2022
- Fulwell Junior SchoolPrimary350Outstanding 2022
- Benedict Biscop Church of England AcademyPrimary318Outstanding 2024
- Barnwell AcademyPrimary317Outstanding 2023
- St Paul's CofE Primary SchoolPrimary316Outstanding 2018
- Pennywell Early Years CentreNursery180Outstanding 2023
- St John Boste Catholic Primary School, WashingtonPrimary180Outstanding 2024
- Harry Watts AcademySpecial175Outstanding 2023
- Houghton Le Spring Nursery SchoolNursery164Outstanding 2014
- Mill Hill Nursery SchoolNursery143Outstanding 2024
- Columbia Grange SchoolSpecial140Outstanding 2020
- Sunningdale SchoolSpecial139Outstanding 2023
- Hylton Red House Nursery SchoolNursery135Outstanding 2022
- Oxclose Nursery SchoolNursery82Outstanding 2024
By phase
| Phase | Schools | Graded | Good or better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 81 | 79 | 100% |
| Secondary | 18 | 17 | 88.2% |
| Nursery | 7 | 7 | 100% |
| Special | 7 | 7 | 85.7% |
| Alternative provision | 3 | 3 | 100% |
Every school in Sunderland
Showing 20 of 116 schools.
| New framework | Links | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington | Secondary | 1,588 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Southmoor Academy | Secondary | 1,392 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy | Secondary | 1,306 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Kepier | Secondary | 1,144 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Oxclose Community Academy | Secondary | 1,078 | Good2020 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Biddick Academy | Secondary | 1,069 | Good2021 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Castle View Enterprise Academy | Secondary | 1,019 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
St Aidan's Catholic Academy | Secondary | 992 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Academy 360 | Secondary | 872 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Venerable Bede Church of England Academy | Secondary | 843 | Good2021 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Monkwearmouth Academy | Secondary | 802 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Christ's College | Secondary | 778 | Good2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Sandhill View Academy | Secondary | 760 | Good2021 | Ofsted | |
Farringdon Community Academy Grade inherited from previous URN 139852 | Secondary | 675 | Requires Improvement2023 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Hetton Academy | Secondary | 671 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Washington Academy | Secondary | 594 | Requires Improvement2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Thornhill Academy | Secondary | 564 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Dubmire Primary | Primary | 488 | Good2024 | — | OfstedWebsite |
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland | Primary | 472 | Good2013 | — | OfstedWebsite |
East Herrington Primary Academy | Primary | 471 | Good2022 | — | OfstedWebsite |
Schools are one input. Sunderland’s pay, house prices, rent, council tax, crime and deprivation are on the Sunderland profile, and the UK regions tool compares all 361 Local Authorities side by side.