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All-throughState · Free schools

Christ's College

Pennywell Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR4 8PG ·

Ofsted:Good· 2023
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At a glance

A state all-through free school for ages 4–18 in Sunderland. Rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection (October 2023). GCSE results are around the England average (Attainment 8: 43.2 vs 46.1, 2024/25). Oversubscribed: 161 families put it first for 136 places (September 2026 entry).

Ages
4–18
Pupils
796
Gender
Mixed
Sixth form
No
Admissions
Non-selective
Local authority
Sunderland
Academy trust
EMMANUEL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION
Headteacher
Mrs Julie Normanton
Opened
Sept 2012

Inspection

Ofsted (framework in use until November 2025)

Read reports
Graded inspection 17 Oct 2023
GoodOverall effectiveness
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good

Safeguarding effective: Yes

Inspection reports describe the school on the day. Read the full report and visit the school before deciding.

Exam results

Department for Education performance tables

GCSE results, 2024/25 · 72 pupils

Attainment 8
43.2
England 46.1
Grade 5+ Eng & maths
43.1%
England 45.4%
Grade 4+ Eng & maths
65.3%
England 64.8%
Progress 8
-0.68
2023/24 · CI -1.03 to -0.32
This school
43.2
Sunderland
43.3
England
46.1

Attainment 8 over time

Progress 8 isn't published for 2024/25 because those pupils had no KS2 test results (tests were cancelled in 2020). Exams were not held in 2019/20 or 2020/21.

Admissions

Demand for places and how places are allocated

Search for your address on the map to see straight-line distances to schools.

Year 7 entry, September 2026 (national offer day data)

Offers made
89
1st preferences
115
All applications
172
1st prefs per place
1.29
More first choices than places

86 of 115 first-preference applicants were offered a place (75%).

Oversubscribed with first preferences

Catchment area

We don't have an official catchment boundary for this school. Many schools don't have one, and few councils publish boundaries as open data. We don't estimate catchments. Check the school's admissions policy or the council's admissions booklet.

Last distance offered

Not published nationally. Many councils publish the furthest distance offered for each school in their annual allocation reports. Past distances vary year to year with demand and sibling numbers, so they are not a guarantee.

How places are allocated: you apply through your home council. When a school has more applicants than places, it applies its published oversubscription criteria in order. These usually start with looked-after children, then siblings, then catchment or distance; faith schools may prioritise church attendance. Children with an EHC plan naming the school are admitted first. Apply on GOV.UK

Pupils

School census 2024/25

Pupils
778
Capacity
860
93% full
Girls / boys
52/48
Mixed
  • Eligible for free school meals (last 6 years)33%
  • English as an additional language6.6%
  • SEN support14.3%
  • Education, Health and Care plan2.1%
  • The black tick shows the median for state-funded all-through schools in England.
Christ's College, Sunderland · SchoolPatch