Dene Academy

About Dene Academy

Dene Academy is a secondary school in Peterlee, County Durham, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. Around 641 pupils aged 11 to 16 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 41.4, below the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 1.2 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

33% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 52% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Dene Academy was not oversubscribed for September 2026: all 101 families who put it first were offered a place. After Year 11, 85% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 12.3%. There are about 14.2 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 61% 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 comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. 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.