Ashmole Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,767 pupils
97% stayed in education · Attainment 8 59.9
Voluntary aided school
St James' Catholic High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,243of 1,400 places
- Free school meals
- 32.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 206
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 5 May 2022Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 206 pupils who finished Year 11 at St James' Catholic High School in 2023, 53% stayed on in St James' Catholic High School’s own sixth form (Barnet average 63%), 24% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 89 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 64% went to university (Barnet 55%, England 37%), and 24% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 98% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 51.4 against 46.1 across England and 56.7 in Barnet, with 56% 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 Barnet and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Barnet | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 206 | 4,491 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 96% | 95% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 91% | 93% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 53% | 63% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 14% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 24% | 20% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 1% | 3% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 3% | 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 | This school | Barnet | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 89 | 4,688 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 83% | 79% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 64% | 55% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 24% | 37% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 2% | 7% |
| Employment | 9% | 16% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 12% | 12% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Barnet | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 51.4 | 56.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 56% | 63% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 75% | 79% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 52% | 59% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.71 | 5.25 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 28% | 26% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 44.7 | 45.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 54.1 | 60.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 69% | 39% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 204 | 99% | 88% | 26% | 22% | 76% |
| English Language | 203 | 99% | 89% | 21% | 20% | 80% |
| English Literature | 202 | 98% | 86% | 21% | 21% | 91% |
| Religious Studies | 201 | 98% | 31% | 27% | 32% | 73% |
| Combined Science | 171 | 83% | 65% | 13% | 9% | 62% |
| History | 108 | 52% | 41% | 43% | 26% | 79% |
| Business Studies | 86 | 42% | 18% | 19% | 20% | 71% |
| Geography | 83 | 40% | 41% | 24% | 25% | 69% |
| French | 58 | 28% | 18% | 29% | 29% | 67% |
| Spanish | 36 | 17% | 19% | 22% | 27% | 83% |
| Biology | 31 | 15% | 23% | 71% | 45% | 97% |
| Chemistry | 30 | 15% | 23% | 87% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 30 | 15% | 23% | 70% | 46% | 100% |
| Computer Science | 25 | 12% | 13% | 32% | 30% | 68% |
| Polish | 24 | 12% | 1% | 88% | 84% | 100% |
| Design and Technology | 22 | 11% | 11% | 5% | 23% | 45% |
| Drama | 21 | 10% | 7% | 24% | 27% | 81% |
| Art and Design | 20 | 10% | 7% | 50% | 24% | 90% |
| Physical Education | 14 | 7% | 11% | 29% | 24% | 100% |
| Chinese | 13 | 6% | 1% | 92% | 75% | 100% |
| Photography | 13 | 6% | 6% | 15% | 19% | 77% |
| Music | 12 | 6% | 5% | 25% | 33% | 83% |
| Portuguese | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 18 | 29% | — |
| Sports Studies | 16 | 26% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 14 | 23% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 13 | 21% | — |
| Tourism | 7 | 11% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Barnet | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 206 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 62 | 3,500 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | B | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 32.66 | 39.61 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 8% | 28% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology | 21 | 34% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 17 | 27% | 31% |
| Psychology | 17 | 27% | 23% |
| English Literature | 17 | 27% | 11% |
| Economics | 14 | 23% | 13% |
| History | 12 | 19% | 13% |
| Biology | 12 | 19% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 11 | 18% | 17% |
| Politics | 11 | 18% | 6% |
| Physical Education | 9 | 15% | 3% |
| Physics | 8 | 13% | 12% |
| Portuguese | — | — | 0% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Business Studies | — | — | 13% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 18 | 29% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 18 | 29% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 13 | 21% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | 8 | 13% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 7 | 11% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 10% | — |
Other secondary schools in Barnet
Bishop Douglass School Finchley
Academy converter · sixth form · 968 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.5
Christ's College Finchley
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,000 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 56.8
Clarion
Academy converter · sixth form · 689 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.8
Copthall School
Academy converter · sixth form · 829 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.4
East Barnet School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,448 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.0
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.