Sunnyside Academy

School overview

Sunnyside Academy is a primary school serving Middlesbrough, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. It has 272 pupils aged 3 to 11 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Sunnyside Academy 'Good'. 37% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Key Stage 2, well below the national average (national figure: 61%). The proportion reaching the expected standard has risen by 6.0 percentage points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of primary schools nationally.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 104 in reading and 103 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 7% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Sunnyside Academy their first choice was offered one of its 25 Reception places. Overall pupil absence was 6.6%. There are about 12.4 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 47% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. When you visit, you might ask how the school stretches its higher-attaining pupils and supports those who need to catch up. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.