St Aidan's Catholic Academy is a secondary school in Sunderland, serving pupils aged 11 to 18. The school is a academy converter and operates as a boys school. It follows a non-selective admissions policy. It has a roman catholic religious character. The school also offers a sixth form, allowing students to continue into post-16 education on site.
St Aidan's Catholic Academy currently has around 992 pupils on roll, which is about 99% of its capacity. The gender split is relatively balanced, with approximately 100% boys and % girls. Around 19.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which gives an indication of the socio-economic mix. Pupil backgrounds are varied across different backgrounds and needs.
Overall absence at the school is 7%. Persistent absence is recorded at 22.4%.
The majority of pupils are from a white british background (58.2%). african pupils make up about 12.1%
Safeguarding was judged to be effective, which is a key consideration for many parents.
Around 94% of pupils move on to sustained destinations after Year 11. Most continue into education (85%) , including 43% who stay in school sixth forms and 40% progressing to further education , while 5% enter apprenticeships .
| Address: | Willowbank Road, Sunderland, SR2 7HJ |
| Website: | http://www.staidanscatholicacademy.co.uk/ |
| Telephone: | 01915200333 |
| School Type: | Academy converter |
| Education phase: | Secondary |
| Local authority: | Sunderland |
| Headteacher / Principal: | Mrs Anne-Marie Whitten |
| Religious character: | Roman Catholic |
| Admissions policy: | Non-selective |
| Unique reference: | 139538 |
Ofsted inspection date: 18/02/2025
Safeguarding is effective
| Age Range: | 11 - 18 |
| Gender: | Boys |
| School Capacity: | 1000 |
| Number of Pupils: | 992 |
| Number of Boys: | 992 |
| Number of Girls: | 0 |
| School | England state-funded schools: | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence: | 7% | 4% |
| Persistent absence: | 22.4% | 8.2% |
| White British | 58.20% | 577 |
| African | 12.10% | 120 |
| Bangladeshi | 7.80% | 77 |
| Other Asian | 5.50% | 55 |
| Indian | 5.10% | 51 |
| Pakistani | 2.60% | 26 |
| Other White | 1.90% | 19 |
| Other (any other ethnic group) | 1.80% | 18 |
| White and Asian | 1.20% | 12 |
| Chinese | 1.10% | 11 |
| Other Mixed | 0.90% | 9 |
| Other Black | 0.80% | 8 |
| Unclassified | 0.50% | 5 |
| White and Black African | 0.20% | 2 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.10% | 1 |
| Irish | 0.10% | 1 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 0.00% | 0 |
| Caribbean | 0.00% | 0 |
| Irish Traveller (Traveller of Irish heritage) | 0.00% | 0 |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cork Street Nursery Centre Cork Street , SR1 2AN | - not rated | 2,064 yd | Local authority nursery school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Millfield Community Nursery School Bell Street , SR4 6JR | - not rated | 2,185 yd | Local authority nursery school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| St Columba's Nursery School Swan Street , SR5 1EA | - not rated | 3,252 yd | Local authority nursery school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Sunderland Meadowside , SR2 7QN | 3out of 4 | 619 yd | Academy converter | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| St Mary's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School Meadowside , SR2 7QN | - not rated | 619 yd | Voluntary aided school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Hill View Junior School Queen Alexandra Road , SR2 9HE | - not rated | 942 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Hill View Junior Academy Queen Alexandra Road , SR2 9HE | 3out of 4 | 942 yd | Academy converter | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Richard Avenue Primary School Hurstwood Road , SR4 7LQ | 3out of 4 | 955 yd | Community school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Aidan's Catholic Academy Willowbank Road , Ashbrooke SR2 7HJ | - not rated | 0 yd | Academy converter | No | Boys | More About School |
| St Aidan's Catholic School Willow Bank Road , Ashbrooke SR2 7HJ | - not rated | 0 yd | Voluntary aided school | No | Boys | More About School |
| Thornhill School Business & Enterprise College Thornholme Road , SR2 7NA | - not rated | 586 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Thornhill Academy Thornholme Road , SR2 7NA | 3out of 4 | 586 yd | Academy sponsor led | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Southmoor Community School, Mathematics and Computing College Ryhope Road , SR2 7TF | - not rated | 902 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wearside College Tunstall Centre , Sea View Road West SR2 9LH | - not rated | 1,245 yd | Further education | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| City of Sunderland College Bede Centre , Durham Road SR3 4AH | - not rated | 1,418 yd | Further education | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbrooke School Ashbrooke Road , Sunderland SR2 7JA | - not rated | 503 yd | Other independent special school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| School Returners/Young Mums Provision Thornhill Academy , Thornholme Road SR2 7NA | - not rated | 580 yd | Pupil referral unit | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Consilium Evolve Thornholme Road (Based-in-Thornhill Academy) , Ashbrooke SR2 7NA | 3out of 4 | 580 yd | Academy alternative provision converter | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Barbara Priestman Academy Meadowside , SR2 7QN | 3out of 4 | 619 yd | Academy special converter | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Barbara Priestman School Meadowside , SR2 7QN | - not rated | 619 yd | Community special school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.