Hope Wood Academy

Special academy · All-through, ages 2 to 19 · Mixed · Nursery class · Sixth form

Part of THE ASCENT ACADEMIES' TRUST

Crawlaw Road, Easington Colliery, Peterlee, Durham, SR8 3LP

03339 991454 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 11 September 2018; improved significantly 2024
Pupils250Room for 251 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 202 in 2019, 213 in 2021, 216 in 2022, 223 in 2023, 227 in 2024, 227 in 2025, 250 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals63%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 11 September 2018.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationGood
Outcomes for pupilsGood
Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
Leadership and managementOutstanding
Sixth formGood
SafeguardingEffective

Since then, a shorter ungraded inspection on 23 October 2024: Ofsted found the school had improved significantly.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

What parents say

56 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 3 September 2024 and 1 September 2025.

StatementThis schoolEngland
My child is happy at this school 93% 89%
My child feels safe at this school 91% 90%
The school makes sure pupils are well behaved 93% 84%
Concerns were dealt with properlyOf 35 parents who had raised a concern 83% 76%
My child with SEND gets the support they needOf 56 parents of children with SEND 96% 68%
I would recommend this school to another parent 93%said yes 84%

Parents choose whether to take part, so these answers may not represent all families (Ofsted puts the response rate at 25%). Figures are the share who agree or strongly agree. England figures are all parents answering the same questions over the same period, for state-funded schools. The scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) agreement, and the dot marks this school among state schools of the same phase that used the same survey questions. The third it falls in is coloured: green for the top third, amber the middle, red the bottom. This survey used Ofsted's previous Parent View questions, which changed in November 2025. Source: Ofsted Parent View management information.

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Results

Key stage 2 (SATs, age 11), 2024/25

10 pupils in this year group.

0% — 62 points below the County Durham average, and 62 points below the England average.

MeasureThis schoolCounty DurhamEngland
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 62% 62%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 0% 8% 8%
Met the expected standard in reading 0% 74% 75%
Met the expected standard in writing 0% 73% 72%
Met the expected standard in maths 0% 73% 74%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 105 106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. Not published 104 105

"Not published": No figure published.

Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, over time
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% England 2022/23: 60%England 2023/24: 61%England 2024/25: 62% This school 2022/23: 0%This school 2023/24: 0%This school 2024/25: 0% This school England 62% 2022/23 0% 2023/24 0% 2024/25 0%

Source: DfE key stage 2 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

GCSEs (key stage 4, age 16), 2024/25

22 pupils in this year group.

MeasureThis schoolCounty DurhamEngland
Grade 5 or above in English and maths Not published 42% 45%
Attainment 8 scoreAverage of each pupil's grades across 8 GCSE-level subjects, with English and maths counted twice. Around 50 means grade 5s on average. Not published 44.1 46.1
EBacc average point scoreAverage points across the English Baccalaureate subjects: English, maths, sciences, a language and history or geography. Not published 3.8 4.1

"Not published": No pupils were entered.

Grade 5 or above in English and maths, over time

2022/232023/242024/25
Not published4%Not published

Progress 8 isn't shown. DfE didn't publish it for 2024/25 because this year group's key stage 2 tests in 2020 were cancelled, and older progress scores aren't comparable.

Source: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

After Year 11

Where pupils went next. DfE measures this for pupils who finished in an earlier year, so these figures describe a previous year group.

26 pupils in this year group.

92% — 3 points above the County Durham average, and about the same as the England average.

MeasureThis schoolCounty DurhamEngland
Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or workPupils recorded in sustained education, apprenticeship or employment in the year after finishing Year 11. 92% 89% 92%
School sixth form 0% 30% 34%
Sixth form college 0% 4% 13%
Further education college 73% 46% 37%
Apprenticeship 0% 5% 3%
Work 0% 3% 3%

Stayed in education, an apprenticeship or work, over time

2023/242024/25
100%92%

Source: DfE key stage 4 destination measures, 2024/25 performance tables. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in County Durham. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

Admissions dates and schools in County Durham

Pupils, staff and SEND

This is a special school for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Places are arranged through the council's SEND team, not the normal admissions round. It caters for: Specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia); Hearing impairment; Speech, language and communication needs; Autism; Moderate learning difficulties; Severe learning difficulties; Profound and multiple learning difficulties.

PupilsThis schoolCounty DurhamEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 64.2% 65.1%* 51.9%
With an education, health and care plan 100.0% 100.0%* 99.5%
Receiving special educational needs support 0.0% 0.0%* 0.5%
English as an additional language 1.3% 1.6%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 10.5% 13.3%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 30.3% 34.1%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 1.8 7.5 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 1.8% 4.1% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.00% 0.08%
Pupils per teacher 7.9 8.3 6.6
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 2.2 2.7 2.3
Teachers who left during the year 20.7% 6.3%* 14.3%*

Comparisons are with special schools. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

SEND provision: Get Information about Schools (DfE).

Questions parents ask

What is Hope Wood Academy's Ofsted rating?

Hope Wood Academy was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 11 September 2018. At a shorter ungraded inspection in 23 October 2024, Ofsted found the school had improved significantly.

How did Hope Wood Academy do in its GCSEs?

DfE didn't publish this figure for 2024/25. No pupils were entered.

Would parents recommend Hope Wood Academy?

93% of the 56 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 3 September 2024 and 1 September 2025 said they would recommend Hope Wood Academy to another parent. Parents choose whether to respond, so this may not represent all families.

Sources

Spotted a mistake? Report it and we'll check it against the source.

Page updated 26 September 2026.