Hebburn Comprehensive School

About Hebburn Comprehensive School

Hebburn Comprehensive School's headline Progress 8 score sits at exactly -0.35, which is the same as the South Tyneside local authority average for secondary schools. That places it squarely in line with the typical performance across the borough, though it's worth noting that the LA average itself is already below the national baseline of zero. Within South Tyneside's nine secondary schools, Hebburn ranks fifth by Progress 8, putting it in the middle of the pack. The school's attainment 8 score of 40.8 gives a sense of the average grade a pupil achieves across their best eight subjects, and while the Progress 8 figure suggests pupils make slightly less progress than the national average, the gap is not unusually large for the area. The school's banding is officially described as 'below average', but in the context of a local authority where no school is rated outstanding by Ofsted and the top performer sits at -0.11, Hebburn's position is fairly typical rather than alarming.

Looking more closely at the breakdown, the school's Progress 8 scores vary by subject area. English and EBacc subjects both come in at -0.47, while maths is closer to the national average at -0.16. The open element, which covers other qualifications, sits at -0.28. Just over half of pupils (55%) achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, though only a third (33.3%) reached the higher grade 5 threshold. The EBacc average point score is 3.59, and 36.3% of pupils entered the EBacc suite of subjects. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school was rated Requires Improvement overall, with leadership and management and quality of education both requiring improvement. However, personal development and behaviour and attitudes were both rated Good, suggesting the school's pastoral and character-building work is stronger than its academic outcomes. The previous inspection in 2013 had rated the school Good overall.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 267 applications for 159 places and 137 first-preference offers, giving a ratio of 1.68 applicants per place. Facilities include science labs, art studios, music rooms, a sports hall, astro turf, and a library, plus a sixth form centre even though the school does not have an official sixth form. Sports on offer include tennis, swimming, rowing, and netball, while clubs range from coding and science club to Model UN and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. With nearly half of pupils (48.9%) eligible for free school meals, Hebburn serves a significantly disadvantaged community, and families considering it should weigh the strong behaviour and personal development ratings against the academic challenges reflected in the Progress 8 data.

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