State all-through · 4 to 16 · Mixed · 842 pupils
Polam Hall School
Grange Road, Darlington, DL1 5PA
COULD YOUR CHILD GET IN? · YEAR 7 2027
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Ofsted report card · November 2025Top 38% (3/8)Fewer first choices than places (2026)
Summary
The key facts, in one placeGCSE (key stage 4)
The league rank: the school's place among its council's schools of the same phase on the newest year's DfE results, the same rank as on the Schools map. In England: 1,661st of 3,223 on the same figure. Band: Top 38%.
Top 38% (3/8)Rank among 8 Darlington secondaries with results, 2026 results (Attainment 8)
- Inspection
- Ofsted report card, November 2025
- Getting in
- Not full for Year 7 2026
- Results
- -0.05 progress 8; 45.9 attainment 8
- Size
- 842 pupils; 107 places a year; classes of 24
- Run by
- Woodard Academies Trust
- Type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 4 to 16 · Mixed
Ofsted, November 2025The judgements from the school's latest inspection. Reports from November 2025 use Ofsted's new report card, with different headings; we show whichever the latest report uses.Read the report ↗
AchievementExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
Leadership and governanceExpected standard
InclusionExpected standard
Safeguarding standardsMet
Strengths, and things to check
- Progress 8: -0.05, against -0.29 in Darlington.
- Sessions missed: 8.0%, against 9.0% in Darlington.
- Higher standard: 6%, against 7% in Darlington.
- English and maths, grade 5+: 40%, against 45% in Darlington.
At a glance
Against Darlington and EnglandThis schoolDarlingtonEnglandHover or tap a bar for the figures
Academic
Expected standardThe share of Year 6 pupils who reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, from the key stage 2 tests and teacher assessment.
59%
In line with DarlingtonHigher standardThe share who reached the higher standard in all three. A small year group can swing this a lot from one year to the next.
6%
Worse than DarlingtonProgress 8How far pupils progressed between the end of primary school and GCSEs, against pupils across England who started at the same level. 0 is average; +0.5 means half a grade better in each subject.
-0.05
Better than DarlingtonAttainment 8The average GCSE score across eight subjects, including English and maths counted twice. A grade 5 in all eight would score 50.
45.9
In line with DarlingtonEnglish and maths, grade 5+The share of pupils with grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE (a strong pass).
40%
Worse than DarlingtonAttendance and behaviour
Sessions missedHalf-day sessions missed, authorised or not, as a share of all sessions in the school year (DfE pupil absence). Lower is better.
8.0%
Better than DarlingtonPersistently absentPupils who missed one session in ten or more. Lower is better.
23.3%
Better than DarlingtonSuspensions per 100 pupilsSuspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Lower is better; one or two incidents move a small school a lot.
26.4
Better than DarlingtonPupils and classes
Average class sizeAverage pupils per class, from the school census. Shown for context, not as a score.
24.1
ContextFree school mealsPupils eligible for free school meals. Context for reading the results, not a measure of the school.
31%
ContextPupils for each teacherPupils on roll for each full-time teacher, from the school workforce census. Shown for context.
18.4
ContextDemand for places
First choices per placeFamilies who put this school first, for each Year 7 place in 2026 (DfE applications and offers). Above 1 means more first choices than places.
0.9
In line with DarlingtonDarlington and England: DfE's own averages for results. For the rest, the middle state secondary school of the same phase, from every school we hold, since DfE publishes no council figure we hold.Where these figures come from →
Overview
Getting in
- 101 families put it first for 107 places; 98 of them got in
- We hold no catchment map for this school, so we can't say which addresses are inside it.
- We can't tell how far Year 7 places reached: we hold no offer-day figures for this school. Ask the council or the school for the last distance offered.
Quality
- Ofsted report card (Achievement: Expected standard; Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard; Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Strong standard; Leadership and governance: Expected standard; Inclusion: Expected standard; Safeguarding standards: Met)
- Progress 8: -0.05 (England +0.01) (county -0.29)
- Attainment 8: 45.9 (England 47.4) (county 45.7)
- English and maths grade 5 or above: 40% (England 48%) (county 45%)
Daily life
- Absence: 8.0% of sessions missed; 23% of pupils miss 1 in 10 or more. Schools with a similar intake: 9.0% and 27%
- Suspensions: 26 per 100 pupils (schools with a similar intake: 20); 4 permanent exclusions
- Classes average 24.1 pupils; 11% of classes have more than 30
- 18.4 pupils for each teacher
- Nearest stops, in a straight line: bus 134 m
- 23 police-reported road collisions within 500 m (1 fatal, 10 serious)
- Air: nitrogen dioxide 6.3 µg/m³, PM2.5 5.4 (1 km square, background level)
Who runs it
- Woodard Academies Trust, with 6 schools
- Opened as an academy (free schools) on 1 September 2015
- Replaced Polam Hall School (URN 114329)
- We can't compare results before and after it converted: we hold results for only one side of the date, because DfE publishes a few years at a time.
Getting in
How far offers reached
How far away the last child offered a place under the distance rule lived, as the council measures it. It changes every year with who applies: a record, not a promise. Children with a higher priority can be offered places from further away.Year 7. Distance of the last child offered a place on offer day. What the last distance means →
Offer day, year by year
| Entry | Year | Places | Applications | Offered | Refused | Last distance (miles) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reception | 2026 | — | — | 45 | — | — |
| Reception | 2024 | — | — | 45 | — | — |
Source: Council offer-day figures: Darlington Borough Council, 2024 to 2026. A dash is a figure the council does not publish, not nought. Distances are straight lines from the school.
Applications and offers, DfE
| Entry | Year | Places | First choices | Any choice | First choices offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | 2026 | 107 | 101 | 287 | 98 |
| Reception | 2026 | 45 | 43 | 137 | 40 |
| Year 7 | 2025 | 108 | 115 | 305 | 100 |
| Reception | 2025 | 41 | 38 | 125 | 38 |
| Year 7 | 2024 | 108 | 108 | 288 | 103 |
| Reception | 2024 | 45 | 46 | 129 | 43 |
| Year 7 | 2023 | 110 | 114 | 254 | 95 |
| Reception | 2023 | 42 | 42 | 84 | 42 |
| Year 7 | 2022 | 109 | 88 | 214 | 88 |
| Reception | 2022 | 41 | 33 | 72 | 33 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence), 2016 to 2026. Families name up to three schools, so most applications are somebody's second or third choice.
Could you get in?Enter a home or postcode: we set it against every year's last offer and this school's rules.
Results
Results
| Measure | This school | England | Council | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progress 8 | -0.05 | +0.01 | -0.29 | 2023/2024 |
| Attainment 8 | 45.9 | 47.4 | 45.7 | 2025/2026 |
| English and maths grade 5 or above | 40% | 48% | 45% | 2025/2026 |
| Reading, writing and maths: expected standard | 59% | 62% | 62% | 2024/2025 |
| Reading, writing and maths: higher standard | 6% | 8% | 7% | 2024/2025 |
Source: DfE school performance tables, 2023/2024, 2024/2025, 2025/2026.
League table place
| Table | League rank |
|---|---|
| Primary (key stage 2) | (20/28) |
| GCSE (key stage 4) | Top 38% (3/8) |
Source: DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase.
Inspections
| Date | Kind | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 25 November 2025 | Report card | 7 areas graded |
| 5 October 2021 | Graded inspection | Good |
Source: Ofsted, 2025.
Where leavers go
| Stage | Leavers in | Pupils | In a sustained place | Of which |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| After GCSEs | 2023/24 | 85 | 85% | In education 79%; Apprenticeship 3.5%; Employment 2.4% |
| After GCSEs | 2022/23 | 67 | 94% | In education 85%; Apprenticeship 4.5%; Employment 4.5% |
| After GCSEs | 2021/22 | 72 | 90% | In education 86%; Apprenticeship 1.4%; Employment 2.8% |
Source: DfE, destination measures. A figure DfE hides for a small group is left out, not shown as nought. The newest year may be provisional.
Daily life
Absence
| Year | Sessions missed | Authorised | Unauthorised | Pupils missing 1 in 10 | Pupils missing 1 in 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 8.0% | 5.6% | 2.4% | 23% | 2.9% |
| 2023/24 | 8.7% | 6.7% | 2.1% | 26% | 3.4% |
| 2022/23 | 8.1% | 6.4% | 1.7% | 23% | 3.4% |
| Schools with a similar intake | 9.0% | 27% |
Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level, 2024-25. Similar intake: state schools of the same phase with free school meals in the same band (30-40%), the median of 654 schools.
Suspensions and exclusions
| Year | Suspensions per 100 pupils | Pupils suspended | Suspensions | Permanent exclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 26.4 | 6.8% | 222 | 4 |
| 2023/24 | 20.1 | 6.1% | 164 | 4 |
| 2022/23 | 19.1 | 7.0% | 150 | 3 |
| Schools with a similar intake | 19.7 |
Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level, 2024-25.
Class sizes and staff
| Measure | Figure | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Average class size | 24.1 | 2025/26 |
| Classes over 30 pupils | 11% | 2025/26 |
| Pupils for each teacher | 18.4 | November 2025 |
Source: DfE, school workforce; school census, 2025/26.
Stops nearby
| Kind | Nearest (metres, straight line) |
|---|---|
| bus | 134 |
Source: DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes), current. A stop across a railway or main road may be a long walk. Bus frequency is not held.
Road collisions within 500 m
| Year | Collisions |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2021 | 6 |
Source: DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years, 2021 to 2025. 10 serious and 1 fatal in all; 9 involved a pedestrian, 2 a cyclist. Only collisions with an injury reported to police are counted.
Air quality
| Pollutant | Annual mean (µg/m³) | Year |
|---|---|---|
| NO2 | 6.3 | 2024 |
| PM10 | 9.0 | 2024 |
| PM25 | 5.4 | 2024 |
Source: DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps. A 1 km background figure: not the air at the school gate beside a busy road.
Pupils
Who goes there
| Measure | Share of pupils | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible for free school meals | 31% | 2025/26 |
| First language other than English | 15% | 2025/26 |
| SEN support | 11% | 2025/26 |
| Education, health and care plan | 2.4% | 2025/26 |
| Girls | 54% | 2025/26 |
Source: DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs, 2025/26.
Who runs it
Who runs it
- Woodard Academies Trust, with 6 schools
- Opened as an academy (free schools) on 1 September 2015
- Replaced Polam Hall School (URN 114329)
- We can't compare results before and after it converted: we hold results for only one side of the date, because DfE publishes a few years at a time.
Area
Homes in reach of this schoolLook up any home near here: its sales, an open-data valuation, and which schools it keeps in reach.Search homes →Sources
- Council offer-day figures: Darlington Borough Council
- DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps
- DfE school performance tables
- DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase
- DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence)
- DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level
- DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level
- DfE, destination measures
- DfE, school workforce; school census
- DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs
- DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes)
- DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years
- Ofsted
- School register: DfE Get Information about Schools (this school)
- How we check these figures: How we know
More in schools in Darlington and the Darlington league table. School register: DfE Get Information about Schools, updated 17 October 2026.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources are named beside each figure. How we know · All sources.