The Blyth Academy

About The Blyth Academy

The Blyth Academy has been rated Good overall by Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in 2021, with a subsequent ungraded visit in April 2025 confirming that standards are maintained. This marks a significant improvement from its previous rating of Requires Improvement in 2019, with the quality of education, personal development, and leadership and management all now judged Good. However, behaviour and attitudes remain a concern, still rated Requires Improvement. On the academic front, the school’s Progress 8 score of -0.18 places it in the average band nationally, meaning pupils make progress broadly in line with the national average. This is a touch above the Northumberland local authority average of -0.22, and ranks the school 9th out of 16 secondary schools in the area. In terms of Attainment 8, pupils achieve an average score of 41, while 50% secure a grade 5 or above in English and maths — the basics measure that matters most to many parents.

Digging deeper into the Progress 8 breakdown, the school shows real variation by subject. Maths stands out with a positive Progress 8 score of 0.05, meaning pupils here make slightly more progress in maths than their peers nationally. English is essentially flat at -0.02, while the EBacc subjects as a group come in at -0.22. The open element — which covers other GCSEs — is notably weaker at -0.5, suggesting that pupils may not be making as much headway in non-core subjects. The EBacc entry rate is 44.1%, with 34.1% achieving a grade 4 or above and 21.2% achieving a grade 5 or above in the full suite of EBacc subjects. The school’s overall Progress 8 score of -0.18 places it in the bottom 50 nationally, though within the North East region it sits around the middle of the pack, ranked 68th out of 142 schools.

The school is oversubscribed for Year 7 entry in 2025/26, with 212 applications for 151 places and 128 first-preference offers made from 130 first-preference applications — a ratio of 1.4 applicants per place. With 772 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1100, there is room for growth. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is high at 48.1%, well above the national average, which gives important context to the school’s results. Facilities include science labs, a sports hall, astro turf, tennis courts, music rooms, and an ICT suite, with a wide range of sports on offer including rowing, swimming, and rugby. The school supports a broad spectrum of SEND needs, from dyslexia and autism to speech and language difficulties. Parent View responses from 36 parents show 75% would recommend the school, though concerns around SEND support and bullying are notable — 36% of parents disagree that SEND children get the support they need, and 20% disagree that bullying is dealt with effectively. This is a school that has turned itself around academically but still has work to do on behaviour and parental confidence in certain areas.

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