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Best Secondary schools in County Durham

Top 20 by latest Ofsted graded judgements (showing top 10 – Go Pro for full list)
Quick compare: Top 3 secondary schools in County Durham
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These rankings cover secondary schools in the local authority of County Durham based on the most recent graded Ofsted inspections. We order by headline grade first, then by publication date; ties are broken using “Quality of education” (where available), then contextual signals.

Graded secondary schools
20
Outstanding
4
Good
16
Median inspection year
2021

Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)

O: 20% · G: 80% · RI: 0% · I: 0%

Summary

Outstanding: 4 Good: 16 Requires improvement: 0 Inadequate: 0
Earliest inspection
Mar 2015 (exact date for Pro)
Latest inspection
Sep 2024 (exact date for Pro)

These rankings use each school’s latest graded Ofsted inspection. Ungraded visits do not replace the most recent graded judgement.

  • 1.
    The Academy at Shotton Hall
    Secondary • Academy converter • Peterlee • SR8 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Sep 2024 – graded Outstanding by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Outstanding
  • 2.
    Teesdale School and Sixth Form
    Secondary • Academy sponsor led • Barnard Castle • DL12 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Jul 2019 – graded Outstanding by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Outstanding
  • 3.
    Sedgefield Community College
    Secondary • Academy converter • Stockton-on-Tees • TS21 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Apr 2017 – graded Outstanding by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Outstanding
  • 4.
    Durham Johnston Comprehensive School
    Secondary • Community school • Durham • DH1 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Mar 2015 – graded Outstanding by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Outstanding
  • 5.
    Bishop Barrington Academy
    Secondary • Academy converter • Bishop Auckland • DL14 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Sep 2024 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 6.
    Hermitage Academy
    Secondary • Academy converter • Chester le Street • DH2 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on May 2024 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 7.
    UTC South Durham
    Secondary • University technical college • Newton Aycliffe • DL5 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Apr 2024 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 8.
    Dene Academy
    Secondary • Academy converter • Peterlee • SR8 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Jan 2024 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 9.
    Parkside Academy
    Secondary • Academy converter • Crook • DL15 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Oct 2023 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
  • 10.
    Seaham High School
    Secondary • Academy converter • Seaham • SR7 (full postcode for Pro)

    Last inspected on Sep 2023 – graded Good by Ofsted. (exact date for Pro)

    Good
Showing top 10 of 20. Go Pro to see the full list and unlock exact dates & full postcodes.
How we rank these schools
  1. Headline Ofsted grade orders: Outstanding (1), then Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
  2. More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
  3. Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
  4. We may consider contextual signals (e.g., %FSM, roll size) to break remaining ties.

Ungraded visits don’t replace the last graded judgement.

About Ofsted grades
  • Outstanding (1) — highest judgement across key areas.
  • Good (2) — consistently meets standards.
  • Requires improvement (3) — not yet good; clear areas to improve.
  • Inadequate (4) — significant weaknesses found.

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