Hope Wood Academy is a special academy in Durham, County Durham, for children and young people aged 2 to 19. It supports dyslexia and SpLD, hearing, speech and language and 4 other needs.
- Ages 2–19
- 250 pupils
- Ofsted: Good
School details
- Type
- Special academy
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 250 (places for 251)
- Headteacher
- Mrs Adele Pearson-Atkinson (Head of Academy)
- Part of
- The Ascent Academies' Trust
- Opened
- 1 September 2012
- Free school meals
- 63% of pupils eligible
- Council
- County Durham
- School reference (URN)
- 138718
Needs it supports
7 needs: dyslexia and SpLD, hearing and 5 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
- Autism Other schools for this in County Durham (11)
- Speech, language and communication Other schools for this in County Durham (7)
Cognition and learning
- Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia) Other schools for this in County Durham (5)
- Moderate learning difficulty Other schools for this in County Durham (7)
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in County Durham (6)
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties Other schools for this in County Durham (4)
Sensory and physical
- Hearing impairment Other schools for this in County Durham (3)
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often County Durham council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Rated Good, September 2018; improved significantly (October 2024)
Rated Good at its last graded inspection, in September 2018. That was some time ago, so read the latest report for the full picture.
- Leadership and managementOutstanding
- Sixth formGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: Improved significantly (ungraded inspection, October 2024).
Contact and getting there
Crawlaw Road, Easington Colliery, Durham, SR8 3LP
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Endeavour Academy Durham Alternative provision · Ages 14–19 · Ofsted: Good 1.9 miles
- Yohden Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 2–11 · Ofsted: Good 2.1 miles
- Horden Nursery School Mainstream + base · Ages 2–5 · Ofsted: Outstanding 2.3 miles
All SEND schools in County Durham
By need in County Durham: Autism (12) · Speech and language (8) · Moderate learning (8) · Severe learning (7) · SEMH (6) · Dyslexia and SpLD (6) · PMLD (5) · Hearing (4) · Vision (3) · Physical (2)
Questions about Hope Wood Academy
How do I get a place at Hope Wood Academy?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Hope Wood Academy. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Hope Wood Academy support?
Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia), hearing impairment, speech, language and communication, autism, moderate learning difficulty, severe learning difficulty and profound and multiple learning difficulties. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Hope Wood Academy take?
Aged 2 to 19, boys and girls.
What is Hope Wood Academy’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Hope Wood Academy?
Crawlaw Road, Easington Colliery, Durham, SR8 3LP, in County Durham.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.