Seaham High School

Academy converter·Secondary school Seaham, County Durham·SR7 0BH
Composite score
57.2
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#1,579
National rank
#66
In North East
#16
In County Durham
Top 50%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
45.8
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
40%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
59%
% EBacc grade 5+
10%
EBacc average points score
3.78

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding effective?
Yes

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
100%
177 first choices, 195 places
First choices per place
0.91
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
244
any preference, for 195 places
Applications from another council area
3%
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.08
00.511.5
1 per place
1.1420220.9520230.9920240.9920250.912026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

Every child who put Seaham High School first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–16
Pupils on roll
1,123
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
42.1%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
2.0%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
17.0%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
3.8%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
10.2%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
32.7%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
17.5
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,954
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
89%
220 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
83%
Apprenticeship
2%
Employment
4%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

Seaham High School at a glance

Located in Seaham, County Durham, Seaham High School is a secondary school, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. The school educates roughly 1,123 pupils aged 11 to 16. Ofsted judged the school to be 'Good' at its most recent inspection. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 45.8 — broadly in line with the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 2.8 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it around the middle of secondary schools nationally.

40% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 59% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Seaham High School their first choice was offered one of its 195 Year 7 places. After Year 11, 89% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 10.2%. There are about 17.5 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 42% 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.

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