Barbara Priestman Academy
Special schoolBarbara Priestman Academy is a special school in Sunderland, for pupils aged 11 to 19. It had 189 pupils at the school census in January 2026.
Ofsted
Latest inspections as at 30 September 2026School remains Good, March 2024
- Latest ungraded inspection
- School remains Good, 27 March 2024
Outcomes as Ofsted published them. Report cards (from November 2025) give no overall grade, and grades under different frameworks can’t be compared.
Results
Department for EducationIn 2025/26, the average Attainment 8 score at Barbara Priestman Academy was 0.7, against 43.6 in Sunderland and 46.2 in England.
0% of its pupils got grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs (46.3% in England).
End of secondary school (KS4, GCSEs)
2025/26, provisional| Measure | This school | Sunderland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Attainment 8 score | 0.7 | 43.6 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 44.7% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 63.6% | 64.8% |
| Pupils at the end of KS4 | 25 | – | – |
- Barbara Priestman Academy teaches pupils with needs that most schools' pupils do not have, often in very small year groups, so its results are not a fair comparison with mainstream schools. They are not shown on the map.
- The 2025/26 figures are provisional. The Department for Education publishes revised ones later in the school year.
- Progress 8 cannot be worked out for 2025/26, because the KS2 tests that give the starting point were cancelled in 2020 and 2021.
- Results reflect the pupils a school admits as well as its teaching, and a year's results can move a lot in a small school.
Schools nearby
In a straight line- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, SunderlandPrimary. Improved significantly, December 2024. 95% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)10 m
- Richard Avenue Primary SchoolPrimary. School remains Good, September 2023. 64% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)320 m
- Consilium EvolvePupil referral and alternative provision. School remains Good (Improving), next inspection graded, September 2023330 m
- Thornhill AcademySecondary. Good (overall), May 2024. Attainment 8 of 42.8 (2025/26, provisional)390 m
- Argyle House SchoolIndependent. Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file560 m
- St Aidan's Catholic AcademySecondary. Graded inspection, February 2025: no overall grade. Attainment 8 of 53.6 (2025/26, provisional)570 m
Admissions and catchments are set by councils and schools, which Open Index doesn’t map. Every school in Sunderland
Where these figures come from
- Schools: the school lists of the Department for Education, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government, with Ofsted’s latest inspections for England.
- Results: the Department for Education’s school performance tables (Open Government Licence).