Whitworth Park Academy
Secondary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 11–16 · Spennymoor, County Durham
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
5.256 miles
Published by Durham County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Whitworth Park Academy is a secondary school in Spennymoor, County Durham for ages 11–16 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 5 October 2022. County Durham has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2026 entry.
Whitworth Park Academy 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 | 5.256 mi |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- The last child offered a 2026 Year 7 place lived 5.256 miles away, the 4th longest of 9 County Durham secondary schools with a published last distance (this one included).
- In 2026 Year 7 entry there were 219 first-choice applications for 218 offers; 212 offers went to first-choice families, and 7 first-choice families (3%) were not offered a place.
- In 2024/25, 55% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), and the Attainment 8 score was 50.4 (England 46).
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
- Whitworth Lane, Spennymoor, DL16 7LN
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- County Durham
- Pupils on roll
- 996 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 37.8% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 17.6
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 5 October 2022
Strengths
- “Whitworth Park Academy is a welcoming and inclusive school.”
- “Pupils develop a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school community.”
- “Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ academic success.”
To improve
- “However, some teachers do not carefully adapt their explanations or activity choices to help pupils understand more complex topics.”
- “This means that learning in some lessons is not as effective as it could be.”
- “However, pupils do not study some subjects in depth.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 16 November 2022 (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) | 55% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 50.4 | 46 |
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: 219 first-preference applications, 218 offers in total, 212 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.
- Ferryhill School 1.7 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Parkside Academy 3.1 mi Good Last distance published
- King James I Academy Bishop Auckland 3.3 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Bishop Barrington Academy 4.2 mi Good Last distance published
- St John's Catholic School & Sixth Form College 4.3 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Woodham Academy 5.1 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Greenfield Academy 5.2 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Durham Johnston Comprehensive School 5.9 mi Not judged Last distance published