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Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

Comprehensive

National rank

219

155=

Rank last year

68.8^%

A-level

33.6^%

GCSE

Need to know

Head teacher Rosslyn McFadden

Attendance 93.6%

Gender of entry Mixed

Send pupils* 9.5% *Special educational needs and disabilities

Total pupils 1,683

Pupils on free school meals 15.9%

Progress 8

Progress 8 is a measure of the development a school cohort/pupils makes from year 6 to year 11. The data used is from 2024. There will be no KS2 updates for 2025 or 2026 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The government is consulting on an improved version of Progress 8 and Attainment 8

AVERAGE

Our methodology

Results

Grade

13.9

24.7

30.2

A*/A

38.6

A*-B

68.8

Grade

9/8

19.4

14.2

9/8/7

33.6

What the school inspection says

“Durham Johnston is a school where pupils feel safe, happy and valued. There are strong, caring relationships between staff and pupils and … a warm, harmonious ethos. Students demonstrate a strong moral compass and are proud to be part of the school community. Pupils are supported to develop a strong understanding of the world around them. Behaviour in lessons and around school is consistently calm and purposeful due to effective systems built on strong relationships. Pupils consistently display a positive attitude to their studies. Staff have designed curriculums that capture pupils’ interests. Support for pupils with Send is variable.”

Inspection

2025

In detail *

Read the full report

*Ofsted no longer makes an overall effectiveness judgment in inspections of state-funded schools. A five-point grading scale, including a new “exceptional” grade was introduced in November 2025.

About the school

Founded in 1901, the school was named after the scientist James Finlay Weir Johnston, a professor of chemistry and mineralogy at Durham University, who was committed to free secular education for boys and girls.
Over time, it has operated as a mixed grammar school, technical school, boys’ grammar and comprehensive.
A £25 million rebuilding project from 2006 to 2009 replaced crumbling, cold buildings with modern facilities, linked via a triple-height, fully glazed central street.
In 2010, Gordon Brown held a cabinet meeting at the school, the first time one had ever been held in such a setting.
A strict uniform policy means no jewellery of any kind is allowed to be worn.
Durham Johnston Comprehensive School was awarded State Secondary School of the Year in the Northeast 2025 and State Secondary School of the Year in the Northeast for Academic Excellence 2025

Visit The Times and The Sunday Times parenting section

school@durhamjohnston.org.uk

Telephone

0191 384 3887

Website

durhamjohnston.org.uk

Address

Crossgate Moor, Durham, DH1 4SU

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