King James I Academy Bishop Auckland
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–18 · Bishop Auckland, County Durham
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
5.518 miles
Published by Durham County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
King James I Academy Bishop Auckland is a secondary school in Bishop Auckland, County Durham for ages 11–18 (academy converter). County Durham has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2026 entry.
King James I Academy Bishop Auckland catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | 5.518 mi |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- Year 7 2026: the last child offered a place lived 5.518 miles away, the 3rd longest of 9 County Durham secondary schools with a published last distance (middle 3.84 miles).
- For Year 7 entry in 2026, there were 152 first-choice applications for 156 offers; 149 offers went to first-choice families and 3 first-choice families were not offered a place.
- In 2024/25, 29% got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), the 3rd lowest of 9 County Durham secondary schools: this one and the 8 nearest.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other County Durham schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- South Church Road, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7JZ
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- County Durham
- Pupils on roll
- 936 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 47.8% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 13.6
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
No Ofsted grade Inspected 17 March 2026
Strengths
- “Pupils, including students in post-16 provision, are happy and safe at King James I Academy.”
- “They thrive as a result of the positive relationships that they have with staff and their peers.”
- “Pupils behave very well in lessons and during social times.”
To improve
- “However, sometimes, teachers do not check that pupils have the knowledge they need before they move learning on.”
- “However, a minority of pupils could achieve at a higher level than they do.”
- “However, there is more work to do to make sure all pupils achieve as highly as they could.”
Safeguarding: met
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 12 May 2026 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 29% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 43.9 | 46 |
| A level average grade (2024/25) | C+ | B- |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 152 first-preference applications, 156 offers in total, 149 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in County Durham.
- Bishop Barrington Academy 1.0 mi Good Last distance published
- St John's Catholic School & Sixth Form College 1.1 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Whitworth Park Academy 3.3 mi Good Last distance published
- Parkside Academy 3.3 mi Good Last distance published
- Greenfield Academy 4.0 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Ferryhill School 4.1 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Woodham Academy 4.9 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- UTC South Durham 5.8 mi Good