When are the 2026 GCSE results for Sunderland schools published?

Pupils receive their results in August, but school-by-school figures come from the DfE performance tables, which publish provisional results in the autumn (usually mid-October) and revised figures early in the new year. This table shows 2025 results, the 2024/25 academic year, and updates when the next release is imported.

What is Attainment 8?

Attainment 8 is the DfE's headline GCSE measure: the average points a school's pupils achieved across eight qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. A score of 50 means pupils averaged roughly a grade 5 across those subjects. No Progress 8 exists for 2025 because these pupils sat no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020.

Why does a school in Sunderland show no GCSE results?

A school has no published figure when it had no Year 11 cohort in the year (a new school, or one that opened with younger year groups), when it converted to an academy and the DfE published results under its previous identity, or when it is independent and its pupils sat IGCSE, Pre-U or IB qualifications that the DfE tables do not count. Independent schools with a published figure are listed separately and unranked for that reason.

Sunderland GCSE results 2025: secondary school league table

Q: Which school has the best GCSE results in Sunderland?

On 2025 Attainment 8, Hetton Academy tops the table in Sunderland with 51.8, against an England average of 46.0. Attainment 8 rewards intake as well as teaching, so compare a school's grade 5+ pass rate and, where published, its Progress 8 before reading the rank as a verdict.

18 state secondary schools in Sunderland ranked on their 2025 GCSE results (Attainment 8, the 2024/25 academic year, the latest DfE has published for every school), with grade 5+ and grade 4+ in English and maths, EBacc average point score and cohort size for each school against the England average. 1 independent school with published results is listed separately, unranked.

Local Authority 18 state secondary schools 2024/25 results

Secondary schools in Sunderland ranked on Attainment 8

18 of 18 schools have published 2025 results. Source: DfE school performance tables, 2024/25.

Secondary schools in Sunderland ranked on Attainment 8, 2025 results
Rank	School	Attainment 8	Grade 5+ English & maths	Grade 4+ English & maths	EBacc APS	Pupils
–	England average	46.0	45%	65%	4.09	–
1	Hetton Academy Houghton le Spring · Academy converter	51.8	57%	79%	4.83	116
2	St Aidan's Catholic Academy Sunderland · Academy converter	51.2	63%	78%	4.68	123
3	St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy Sunderland · Academy converter	50.7	48%	71%	4.58	203
4	Southmoor Academy Sunderland · Academy converter	49.0	49%	73%	4.39	251
5	St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington Washington · Academy converter	48.9	49%	73%	4.35	250
6	Monkwearmouth Academy Sunderland · Academy converter	45.8	45%	65%	3.84	135
7	Red House Academy Sunderland · Academy sponsor led	44.8	51%	65%	3.94	78
8	Farringdon Community Academy Sunderland · Academy converter	44.6	50%	70%	3.93	136
9	Venerable Bede Church of England Academy Sunderland · Academy converter	44.1	39%	61%	3.90	178
10	Kepier Houghton le Spring · Academy converter	43.6	37%	55%	3.91	220
11	Christ's College Sunderland · Free schools	43.2	43%	65%	3.84	72
12	Biddick Academy Washington · Academy converter	42.5	39%	60%	3.72	213
13	Castle View Enterprise Academy Sunderland · Academy sponsor led	41.9	39%	57%	3.85	201
14	Oxclose Community Academy Washington · Academy converter	41.8	31%	57%	3.52	213
15	Thornhill Academy Sunderland · Academy sponsor led	41.4	33%	54%	3.40	108
16	Sandhill View Academy Sunderland · Academy sponsor led	38.6	49%	60%	3.08	144
17	Washington Academy Washington · Academy converter	33.1	22%	39%	2.90	90
18	Academy 360 Sunderland · Academy sponsor led	31.7	19%	34%	2.54	101

Independent schools in Sunderland with published GCSE results

Listed as published, not ranked. The DfE tables count only reformed GCSEs, so a school whose pupils sit IGCSE, Pre-U or the IB reports a lower figure than its results merit, or none at all. Compare independent schools on their own published examination results and inspection reports.

School	Attainment 8 (as published)	Grade 5+ English & maths	Pupils
Argyle House School Sunderland · Other independent school	49.3	62%	26

How to read this table

Attainment 8 is the average points a school's pupils achieved across eight GCSE subjects: English and maths (double-weighted), three EBacc subjects (sciences, computing, history, geography, languages) and three further approved qualifications. The DfE publishes it for every state school; the England average for 2025 was 46.0.

Grade 5+ in English and maths is the share of pupils reaching a "strong pass" in both; grade 4+ is the "standard pass". EBacc APS is the average point score across the English Baccalaureate subjects, including pupils who did not enter them.

Progress 8 is not shown: the DfE published no Progress 8 for 2025 because these pupils sat no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020, the baseline it is measured from, and the same applies to 2026. Attainment 8 rewards intake as well as teaching, so a selective school will usually top an attainment-only table.

Ranks are shared where scores tie. Schools are ranked here on published results alone; our composite score, which also weighs Ofsted inspection, progress and attendance, orders the same schools on the best secondary schools page.

See the best secondary schools in Sunderland on our composite score

Sunderland GCSE results 2025: secondary school league table

Secondary schools in Sunderland ranked on Attainment 8

Independent schools in Sunderland with published GCSE results

More about schools in Sunderland

Sunderland GCSE results: common questions