Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.

Durham Johnston provides an excellent education for all of its students, preparing them well for their next steps and for life in modern Britain. The headteacher, senior and middle leaders and governors provide outstanding leadership. They are ambitious for their school.

They have an unwavering focus on improving teaching and learning further and also on nurturing the abilities, skills and talents of each student and member of staff in the school. This is an improving school because of the high expectations and drive from leaders at all levels. Students make accelerated progress in Key Stages 3 and 4.

This means that the...y reach standards in their GCSE examinations which are significantly higher than the national average in a wide range of subjects. The most able students achieve very well, and the proportion of GCSE A* and A grades is significantly above average across the curriculum. Students are keen to learn and relish the challenges that their teachers set.

Their excellent attitudes to learning contribute strongly to their success. Teachers in most subject areas use information about students' performance and information from marking to plan activities that are challenging, engaging and fun. However, this exemplary practice is not always shared across the school.

Students are polite, courteous and well-mannered. They are always smartly dressed, have great pride in their school and look after it well. Students are happy and feel very safe in school.

The school's procedures for keeping students safe are exemplary. The sixth form is outstanding because it is led very effectively and because the quality of teaching that students receive each day is outstanding. This means that students make excellent progress in all aspects of their learning, are happy, confident and have high ambitions for themselves.

The sixth form makes a strong contribution to the ethos of the school. Governors know the school very well indeed and have an accurate view of teaching and of students' achievement. They hold school leaders rigorously to account because of the impressive range of skills and experience that governors have.

Information about this school

Durham Johnston is much larger than the average-sized secondary school. The proportion of disadvantaged students, those supported by pupil premium funding, is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding to support students known to be eligible for free schools meals and those looked after by the local authority.

The overwhelming majority of students are of White British heritage. There are very few students from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of students with special educational needs or with disabilities is broadly average.

Very few students leave or join the school during Years 10 and 11. Support for a very small number of Year 11 students is provided by The Green School, Durham and by New College, Durham. The school enters students early for GCSE examinations in mathematics.

The school meets the government's current floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for students' attainment and progress in English and in mathematics by the end of Year 11. The school is a Stonewall School Champion, holds the International School award and the Prince's Teaching Institute Mark for Art, Geography, History, Mathematics, Music and School Leadership. Staff from the school support North Ormesby Primary Academy, Caldicotes Primary Academy and a number of other primary and secondary schools locally.