Bishop Challoner Catholic School
Academy converter · sixth form · 867 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.6
Community school
Swanlea School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,253of 1,260 places
- Free school meals
- 42.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 207
- Ofsted
- Outstanding, 24 April 2024Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 208 pupils who finished Year 11 at Swanlea School in 2023, 69% stayed on in Swanlea School’s own sixth form (Tower Hamlets average 64%) and 23% went to a further education college.
Among the 119 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 65% went to university (Tower Hamlets 36%, England 37%), and 35% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 56.9 against 46.1 across England and 47.4 in Tower Hamlets, with 64% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
German is unusually popular at GCSE: 28% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
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 | Swanlea School | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 208 | 3,085 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 97% | 94% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 95% | 93% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 69% | 64% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 3% | 13% |
| — further education college | 23% | 23% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | — | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 0% | 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 | Swanlea School | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 119 | 6,181 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 82% | 74% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 65% | 36% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 35% | 11% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 11% | 24% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 17% | 18% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Swanlea School | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 56.9 | 47.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 64% | 48% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 81% | 67% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 72% | 54% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.25 | 4.27 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 59% | 55% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 53.5 | 45.7 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 61.6 | 49.4 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 35% | 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 | 207 | 100% | 31% | 54% | 32% | 88% |
| English Language | 205 | 99% | 89% | 30% | 20% | 83% |
| Mathematics | 205 | 99% | 88% | 41% | 22% | 86% |
| English Literature | 204 | 99% | 86% | 37% | 21% | 86% |
| Combined Science | 174 | 84% | 65% | 21% | 9% | 77% |
| Geography | 114 | 55% | 41% | 34% | 25% | 73% |
| History | 90 | 43% | 41% | 34% | 26% | 68% |
| French | 88 | 43% | 18% | 15% | 29% | 64% |
| German | 58 | 28% | 5% | 33% | 33% | 83% |
| Biology | 30 | 14% | 23% | 90% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 30 | 14% | 23% | 93% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 30 | 14% | 23% | 90% | 46% | 100% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 13% | 13% | 54% | 30% | 81% |
| Drama | 20 | 10% | 7% | 25% | 27% | 80% |
| Design and Technology | 18 | 9% | 11% | 72% | 23% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 16 | 8% | 11% | 13% | 24% | 50% |
| Fine Art | 16 | 8% | 9% | 13% | 28% | 88% |
| Music | 9 | 4% | 5% | 44% | 33% | 67% |
| Bengali | 5 | 2% | 0% | — | 35% | — |
| Italian | 4 | 2% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Spanish | 1 | 0% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Citizenship Studies | 1 | 0% | 3% | — | 19% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 54 | 54% | — |
| Small Business Management | 51 | 51% | — |
| Graphic Design | 16 | 16% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 16 | 16% | — |
| Sports Studies | 11 | 11% | — |
| Health Studies | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Swanlea School | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 246 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 100 | 2,132 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.94 | 30.92 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 6% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | 51 | 51% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 45 | 45% | 31% |
| Psychology | 36 | 36% | 23% |
| Politics | 22 | 22% | 6% |
| Computer Science | 21 | 21% | 5% |
| English Literature | 20 | 20% | 11% |
| History | 19 | 19% | 13% |
| Biology | 14 | 14% | 20% |
| Physics | 14 | 14% | 12% |
| Geography | 14 | 14% | 10% |
| Chemistry | 13 | 13% | 17% |
| Sociology | 10 | 10% | 13% |
| Religious Studies | 8 | 8% | 4% |
| 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 | 12% | — |
| Computing and IT Advanced Technician | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 6 | 6% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 6 | 6% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Tower Hamlets
Bow School
Community school · sixth form · 1,126 pupils
96% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.2
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
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.