School's joy after it's named as one of the most improved

Sunderland school chiefs say they’re delighted the hard work of students and staff had paid off as it was named one of the 20 most improved in the country.

- by Neil Fatkin

Venerable Bede CE Academy head of school Tracey Burgess praised all involved in the recognition for improvements in GCSE English and maths results.

In the table of most improved schools in 2025 for GCSE attainment in English, Venerable Bede is listed in 18th place; in the table for most improved performance for grades of four and above (old grade C) in English and maths, the school is placed 20th.

It marks a landmark moment for the school after Ofsted inspectors deemed the quality of education to be inadequate when they visited the school in January 2025.

One of the underlying reasons was the school's then GCSE performance in the core subjects of English and maths.