Schools by area › Sunderland › Venerable Bede Church of England Academy
Venerable Bede Church of England Academy
Secondary · Mixed · Ages 11–16 · Academy
Tunstall Bank, Sunderland SR2 0SX · venerablebede.co.uk · 0191 523 9745
Overview
- Ofsted
- No overall grade
- 2019 framework · inspected Jan 2025
- GCSEs, 2024/25
- 44.1
- average Attainment 8 score. Sunderland 43.3, England 46
- Demand for places
- 0.9
- first choices for each place · Year 7, September 2026
- Pupils
- 738
- 82% of 900 places
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Sixth form
- No
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Free school meals
- 34.3%
- First language not English
- 3.1%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Year 7 in September 2026, 57 families put the school first and 64 places were offered; 100% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Year 7 | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 64 | 57 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 114 | 106 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 130 | 124 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 169 | 151 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 176 | 174 | 1 | 99% |
Results
In 2024/25 the average Attainment 8 score at GCSE was 44.1, and 38.8% of pupils got grade 5 or above in English and maths. Across Sunderland it was 43.3, and across England 46.
GCSE results
Attainment 8
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| ●44.1 | 46.0 | ||
| ▼38.8% | 45.4% | ||
| ▼60.7% | 64.8% | ||
| ▲44.4% | 40.5% | ||
| ●3.90 | 4.09 |
Where Year 11 leavers went
| Left in 2023/24 | Since 2021/22 | |
|---|---|---|
| School sixth form | 12.4 | −12.2 |
| Further education | 67.8 | +4.1 |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2 | +2.8 |
| Employment | 4.5 | +2.8 |
| Not in a lasting destination | 7.3 | +2.8 |
| Activity not captured | 1.7 | 0 |
Ofsted
Ofsted inspected Venerable Bede Church of England Academy on 21 January 2025 under its 2019 framework. Inspections from September 2024 give no overall grade.
- Overall
- No overall grade
- Inspected
- 21 Jan 2025
- Graded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Graded areas
| Quality of education | Inadequate |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and attitudes | Requires improvement |
| Personal development | Requires improvement |
| Leadership and management | Requires improvement |
Previously: Remains Good, ungraded inspection, Nov 2021
Other inspections
Report cards, from November 2025
- Mar 2026Monitoring visitEffective action
September 2019 to November 2025
- Sept 2025Monitoring visitEffective action
Nov 2021Ungraded inspectionRemains Good
Safeguarding Effective
Before September 2019
May 2016Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good Leadership and management Good Safeguarding Effective Jan 2012Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leadership and management Good
What parents said
30% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (108 replies, to 6 April 2026).
- Recommend
- 30%
- Positive
- 26%
- Replies
- 108
- 13% · 6 Apr 2026
based on the 93% who raised concerns
based on 44 parents (41%) whose child was bullied
based on 32 parents (30%) with SEND