School profile

Boldon School

Secondary · Community school · Boldon Colliery, NE35 9DZ

Requires improvement

Map showing Boldon School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,841 of 3,312

Worse than 85% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

Boldon School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 18 Feb 2025

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Quality of education
Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes
Requires improvement
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Requires improvement
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeCommunity school
Ages11 to 16
Pupils1,043
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMrs Louise Pippin
Local authoritySouth Tyneside
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 108730.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolSouth TynesideEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.38.5, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside41.346.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.49%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside59%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.28%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside36.9%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.3.5%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside6.8%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths48%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside54%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4200--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils1,043
Girls514
Boys529
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.51%
First language not English3.8%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,105
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.5.6%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.240
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.26
Average class size19.1

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
91%
Other White
2.8%
African
1.7%
Other Asian
0.9%
White and Asian
0.8%
Other mixed
0.7%
White and Black African
0.5%
Bangladeshi
0.4%
Indian
0.3%
Other ethnic group
0.3%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher14.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.1
Teachers (FTE)71.88
Teaching assistants (FTE)21.62
Support staff (FTE)52.55
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2571.3
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2562.6
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/256.7
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/252

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.213
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.295
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.164
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.164
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)3

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSouth TynesideEngland
Overall absence12.3%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside9.6%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.34.9%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside26.4%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.6.8%, worse than England, worse than South Tyneside4.5%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate40.2%
Pupils with one or more suspensions13.5%
Permanent exclusion rate0.7%
Permanent exclusions7

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.82.8%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.70.3%
Further education64.1%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.8.1%
Apprenticeship6.2%
Employment6.2%
School sixth form5.7%
Sixth form college0%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Boldon School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.3 miPrimaryWest Boldon Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.5 miNurseryBoldon Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Outstanding
0.6 miNurseryHelen Gibson Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryEast Boldon Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryForest View PrimaryCommunity school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryEast Boldon Infants' SchoolCommunity school
Outstanding
0.8 miPrimaryBiddick Hall Infants' SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryHedworth Lane Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryBiddick Hall Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.1 miPrimaryMonkton Infants' SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Boldon School

What is Boldon School's Ofsted rating?

Boldon School is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 18 Feb 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Boldon School rank in England?

Boldon School ranks 2,841 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 85% of schools).

What are Boldon School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 28% of pupils at Boldon School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 38.5 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into Boldon School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Boldon School made 213 offers from 295 applications (1.4 per offer), and 164 of 164 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Boldon School?

Boldon School has 1,043 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of Boldon School?

Boldon School had 1,105 school places in 2024/25.

Does Boldon School have a sixth form?

No, Boldon School teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at Boldon School?

At Boldon School, the average class had 19.1 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 14.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Boldon School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Boldon School missed 12.3% of sessions (England 8%), and 34.9% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.