SHINE Sunderland

A 10-year city-wide programme helping the city's children to succeed

Over the next decade, the SHINE Sunderland partnership is providing over £11 million of funding directly to secondary schools in the City of Sunderland to support work that removes barriers to learning and ensures all children in Sunderland can succeed in their secondary education and beyond.

Unlocking the potential of every child in Sunderland

SHINE Sunderland is a 10-year partnership to invest over £11 million in secondary schools across the city, to help improve GCSE attainment and access to future opportunities.

Bringing together philanthropists, talented teachers, and other local partners, the initiative aims to address the barriers to success that students in Sunderland encounter.

SHINE Sunderland works with secondary schools to design bespoke projects that unlock student potential while building a city-wide network to share best practice and drive collective success.

SHINE Sunderland projects

Learn about the SHINE Sunderland project portfolio.

Information for Sunderland Schools

If you represent a Sunderland secondary school, find out how to apply and review our terms and conditions.

Shaping brighter futures

Throughout the ten years of the fund, we will:

Build relationships by understanding the context of each school and their unique challenges and opportunities.
Encourage learning by involving schools in evaluation and helping them understand what works best and why.
Adapt and amend our approach in response to new information, challenges or opportunities.
Celebrate the impact of teachers and champion their ideas and perspectives.
Strengthen capacity for the long-term by investing in the professional development of teachers and school leaders.

Before the first grants were awarded, SHINE commissioned the University of Sunderland to conduct an in-depth 10-month study to identify the barriers students in the city face.

Evidence was gathered from more than 80 participants across Sunderland, including headteachers, senior school leaders, teachers, parents, students, and representatives from charities and local agencies.

Researchers subsequently published a comprehensive report, featuring a thorough analysis of key data from 2018 to 2023. The findings shed light on the challenges disproportionately affecting some student groups in the city while highlighting opportunities to help more young people in Sunderland achieve success.

Significance of prior academic achievement: Students with lower prior attainment at primary school often struggled to achieve higher grades at secondary school. Literacy emerged as a specific area where early and consistent support is needed.
Effect of low-income backgrounds: Students who receive free school meals generally have lower grades and show less academic progress compared to their peers. The effect is even more noticeable among students who previously performed best in primary school.
Impact of attendance and exclusions: Lower attendance rates and higher suspension rates were found to have a direct correlation with lower GCSE attainment. Students who have received at least one suspension or who were regularly absent from school often showed declines in grades. This impact was also especially strong for students who previously had high prior achievement levels.
Social and emotional barriers: Strong mental health, and positive relationships between schools and families, were also associated with higher attainment. The report recommends support could be further strengthened in these areas. It also calls for more connections between secondary and primary schools, to better prepare children for the challenges of moving school.
Aspirations and careers: Children would also benefit from access to additional personalised support in school and understanding more about the opportunities available to them when they leave.

The research paper made several recommendations which have informed SHINE’s funding criteria.

Initially, SHINE will seek to support projects that:

Improve literacy skills by implementing evidence-informed approaches that improve standards across the cohort.
Provide the foundations for successful transition between primary and secondary school to improve secondary school outcomes.
Address underlying barriers that prevent children from reaching their full potential, including, but not limited to, mental health challenges, attendance, parental engagement or SEND.
Improve aspirations and engagement, and offer enriching educational experiences, especially for disadvantaged students with high prior attainment.

While children in Sunderland often do well in primary school, many fall behind their peers nationally by GCSE age. Achieving 5 good GCSEs can be life-changing, unlocking opportunities and shaping brighter futures.

SHINE Sunderland is committed to helping more children in the city achieve this goal.

We believe every child in Sunderland deserves the chance to shine, and together with dedicated schools and teachers, we can give many more young people the foundations to succeed and thrive.

Latest Updates From SHINE Sunderland

3rd April 2025

£60k project will support teaching of literacy in Sunderland classrooms

"Strong literacy skills give students better opportunities, both in school and beyond. This funding helps us move closer to our goal of giving every child the best possible start in life."

News

3rd April 2025

Academy’s £136K project to strengthen community and boost student success

"The level of change that this will bring will be phenomenal and will transform opportunities for young people."

News

3rd April 2025

Bold new literacy project puts Sunderland stories at the heart of learning

"If the students see their own experiences reflected in the material, they become more engaged, making writing feel personally meaningful and relevant to them."

News