Bishop Challoner Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 867 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.6
Community school
Bow School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,126of 1,350 places
- Free school meals
- 47.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 220
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 13 September 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 223 pupils who finished Year 11 at Bow School in 2023, 58% stayed on in Bow School’s own sixth form (Tower Hamlets average 64%) and 29% went to a further education college.
Among the 34 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 82% went to university (Tower Hamlets 36%, England 37%), and 45% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 100% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 43.2 against 46.1 across England and 47.4 in Tower Hamlets, with 33% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Tower Hamlets and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Bow School | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 223 | 3,085 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 96% | 94% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 96% | 93% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 58% | 64% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 7% | 3% | 13% |
| — further education college | 29% | 23% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | — | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | — | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Bow School | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 34 | 6,181 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 74% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 82% | 36% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 45% | 11% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 6% | 24% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Bow School | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 43.2 | 47.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33% | 48% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 61% | 67% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 38% | 54% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.79 | 4.27 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 57% | 55% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 40.5 | 45.7 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.8 | 49.4 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 75% | 47% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Religious Studies | 219 | 100% | 31% | 11% | 32% | 53% |
| Mathematics | 219 | 100% | 88% | 9% | 22% | 65% |
| English Language | 219 | 100% | 89% | 7% | 20% | 62% |
| English Literature | 218 | 99% | 86% | 9% | 21% | 72% |
| Combined Science | 173 | 79% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 49% |
| History | 98 | 45% | 41% | 12% | 26% | 58% |
| Computer Science | 84 | 38% | 13% | 7% | 30% | 51% |
| Business Studies | 59 | 27% | 18% | 2% | 20% | 36% |
| Spanish | 55 | 25% | 19% | 29% | 27% | 84% |
| Economics | 54 | 25% | 1% | 9% | 34% | 54% |
| Geography | 47 | 21% | 41% | 6% | 25% | 45% |
| Biology | 46 | 21% | 23% | 46% | 45% | 98% |
| Chemistry | 45 | 20% | 23% | 38% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 45 | 20% | 23% | 31% | 46% | 98% |
| Design and Technology | 44 | 20% | 11% | 2% | 23% | 41% |
| French | 42 | 19% | 18% | 29% | 29% | 64% |
| Fine Art | 39 | 18% | 9% | 33% | 28% | 90% |
| Ancient History | 29 | 13% | 0% | 17% | 37% | 59% |
| Citizenship Studies | 23 | 10% | 3% | 13% | 19% | 65% |
| Media Studies | 19 | 9% | 4% | 11% | 20% | 42% |
| Drama | 7 | 3% | 7% | 14% | 27% | 71% |
| Dance | 4 | 2% | 1% | — | 27% | — |
| Bengali | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 35% | — |
| Polish | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 38 | 90% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 11 | 26% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Bow School | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 124 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 42 | 2,132 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 39.11 | 30.92 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 19% | 7% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 34 | 81% | 31% |
| Economics | 18 | 43% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 17 | 40% | 17% |
| Physics | 13 | 31% | 12% |
| Computer Science | 11 | 26% | 5% |
| Politics | 10 | 24% | 6% |
| Psychology | 8 | 19% | 23% |
| Biology | 7 | 17% | 20% |
| Ancient History | — | — | 0% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 12 | 29% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 7 | 17% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Tower Hamlets
Canary Wharf Secondary
Free schools · 417 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.9
Central Foundation Girls' School
Voluntary aided school · sixth form · 1,526 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.3
George Green's School
Voluntary controlled school · sixth form · 1,256 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.0
Langdon Park Community School
Community school · sixth form · 1,055 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.5
London Enterprise Academy
Free schools · 396 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.0
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.