# Barbara Priestman Academy

Barbara 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.

Special school. Code E138530. [Sunderland](https://openindex.co.uk/sunderland)

- Phase: Special
- Type: Academy special converter
- Ages: 11 to 19
- Pupils: 189
- Council: Sunderland
- URN: 138530

## Latest Ofsted outcome

School remains Good, March 2024
- Latest ungraded inspection: School remains Good, 27 March 2024
Edition: Latest inspections as at 30 September 2026
Outcomes as Ofsted published them. Report cards (from November 2025) give no overall grade, and grades under different frameworks cannot be compared.

## Results

Source: Department for Education school performance tables (Open Government Licence).

In 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

Distances are in a straight line. Admissions and catchments are set by councils and schools.

- [St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland](https://openindex.co.uk/school/st-marys-catholic-primary-school-sunderland-e148781): 10 m. Primary. Improved significantly, December 2024. 95% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Richard Avenue Primary School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/richard-avenue-primary-school-e108819): 320 m. Primary. School remains Good, September 2023. 64% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)
- [Consilium Evolve](https://openindex.co.uk/school/consilium-evolve-e148127): 330 m. Pupil referral and alternative provision. School remains Good (Improving), next inspection graded, September 2023
- [Thornhill Academy](https://openindex.co.uk/school/thornhill-academy-e144990): 390 m. Secondary. Good (overall), May 2024. Attainment 8 of 42.8 (2025/26, provisional)
- [Argyle House School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/argyle-house-school-e108873): 560 m. Independent. Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file
- [St Aidan's Catholic Academy](https://openindex.co.uk/school/st-aidans-catholic-academy-e139538): 570 m. Secondary. Graded inspection, February 2025: no overall grade. Attainment 8 of 53.6 (2025/26, provisional)

## Sources and further information

- [Schools: methods, licences and inspection sources](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/schools)
- [Get Information about Schools](https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/138530)
- [Ofsted reports](https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/138530)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/school/barbara-priestman-academy-e138530, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/school/barbara-priestman-academy-e138530#sc-results.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/school/barbara-priestman-academy-e138530