St Aidan's Catholic AcademyThornhill Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Sunderland.
Summary of the comparison
St Aidan's Catholic Academy and Thornhill Academy are secondary schools in Sunderland.
St Aidan's Catholic Academy scores 70 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and Thornhill Academy scores 50 out of 100 (grade D, below average). St Aidan's Catholic Academy is ahead on our composite score.
St Aidan's Catholic Academy was judged exceptional and Thornhill Academy was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 53.6 for St Aidan's Catholic Academy and 42.8 for Thornhill Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at St Aidan's Catholic Academy (57.5 in 2021-22, 53.6 in 2025-26) and has risen at Thornhill Academy (37.7 in 2021-22, 42.8 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | SunderlandSt Aidan's Catholic Academy | SunderlandThornhill Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B70/100Stronger figure | D50/100 | |
| Local ranking | 1st of 18 in Sunderland Stronger figure | 15th of 18 in Sunderland | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy sponsor led | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Boys | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,057 | 526 | |
| Capacity | 1,000 | 1,050 | |
| Location | Sunderland, SR2 7HJ | Sunderland, SR2 7NA | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 53.6 Stronger figure | 42.8 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 58.6% Stronger figure | 44.4% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 79.3% Stronger figure | 61.1% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 174 | 126 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 61 | Not reported | |
| A-level average points | 33.0 | Not reported | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | Not reported | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 37.0 | Not reported | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 16.2% | Not reported | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 992 | 564 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 19.5% | 46.1% | |
| English as an additional language | 25.1% | 44.7% | |
| SEN support | 10.0% | 16.3% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 0.5% | 1.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 6.1% Stronger figure | 12.2% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 18.6% Stronger figure | 34.4% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
St Aidan's Catholic Academy
Thornhill Academy
Full profiles: St Aidan's Catholic Academy · Thornhill Academy