Norman Cornish Academy is a special academy in Spennymoor, County Durham, for children and young people aged 11 to 16. It supports SEMH.
- Ages 11–16
- 64 pupils
- Ofsted: Requires improvement
School details
- Type
- Special academy
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 64 (places for 75)
- Headteacher
- Ms L Winter (Headteacher)
- Part of
- Horizons Specialist Academy Trust
- Opened
- 1 February 2025
- Free school meals
- 78.1% of pupils eligible
- Council
- County Durham
- School reference (URN)
- 151483
Needs it supports
1 need: SEMH
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Social, emotional and mental health
- Social, emotional and mental health Other schools for this in County Durham (5)
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 Requires improvement, December 2023
Rated Requires improvement at its last graded inspection, in December 2023.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesRequires improvement
- Personal developmentRequires improvement
- Leadership and managementRequires improvement
- SafeguardingEffective
Contact and getting there
Whitworth Lane, Spennymoor, DL16 7QW
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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
- The Oaks Secondary School Special school · Ages 11–19 · Ofsted: Outstanding 0.5 miles
- The Grange Learning Centre Independent · Ages 7–19 · Ofsted: Outstanding 2.1 miles
- The Woodlands Alternative provision · Ages 6–16 · Ofsted: Good 2.9 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 Norman Cornish Academy
How do I get a place at Norman Cornish 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 Norman Cornish Academy. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Norman Cornish Academy support?
Social, emotional and mental health. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Norman Cornish Academy take?
Aged 11 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Norman Cornish Academy’s Ofsted rating?
Rated Requires improvement by Ofsted in December 2023 at its last graded inspection. Newer inspections no longer give a single overall grade, so read the latest report for the full picture.
Where is Norman Cornish Academy?
Whitworth Lane, Spennymoor, DL16 7QW, 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.