Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,655 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.0
Foundation school
Queen Elizabeth School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,229of 1,460 places
- Free school meals
- 32.9%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 200
- Ofsted
- Good, 13 June 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 218 pupils who finished Year 11 at Queen Elizabeth School in 2023, 22% stayed on in Queen Elizabeth School’s own sixth form (Luton average 13%), 27% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Sixth form colleges are the main next step: 38% of leavers went to one, roughly three times the England rate of 13%.
A level grades average D+, well below the England average of B-; 0% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Sociology, Mathematics and Biology.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 39.9 against 46.1 across England and 45.0 in Luton, with 35% 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 Luton and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Queen Elizabeth School | Luton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 218 | 3,003 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 86% | 89% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 22% | 13% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 38% | 47% | 13% |
| — further education college | 27% | 27% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
No published destinations for sixth-form leavers yet.
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Queen Elizabeth School | Luton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 39.9 | 45.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 35% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 54% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 73% | 49% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.77 | 4.05 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 36% | 32% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 33.0 | 38.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 43.7 | 48.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 47% | 49% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 198 | 99% | 89% | 13% | 20% | 60% |
| Mathematics | 198 | 99% | 88% | 12% | 22% | 60% |
| English Literature | 198 | 99% | 86% | 8% | 21% | 66% |
| Combined Science | 184 | 92% | 65% | 10% | 9% | 48% |
| History | 98 | 49% | 41% | 16% | 26% | 51% |
| Geography | 92 | 46% | 41% | 10% | 25% | 43% |
| Spanish | 87 | 44% | 19% | 10% | 27% | 47% |
| French | 62 | 31% | 18% | 13% | 29% | 48% |
| Business Studies | 58 | 29% | 18% | 5% | 20% | 41% |
| Art and Design | 32 | 16% | 7% | 19% | 24% | 69% |
| Computer Science | 29 | 14% | 13% | 17% | 30% | 38% |
| Religious Studies | 22 | 11% | 31% | 23% | 32% | 68% |
| Drama | 19 | 10% | 7% | 16% | 27% | 53% |
| Design and Technology | 18 | 9% | 11% | 6% | 23% | 50% |
| Physics | 14 | 7% | 23% | 29% | 46% | 93% |
| Biology | 14 | 7% | 23% | 29% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 14 | 7% | 23% | 43% | 47% | 100% |
| Music | 13 | 7% | 5% | 23% | 33% | 38% |
| Polish | 12 | 6% | 1% | 75% | 84% | 75% |
| Italian | 3 | 2% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Gujarati | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 57% | — |
| Urdu | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 33 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 27 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 27 | 100% | — |
| Sports Studies | 24 | 92% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 22 | 85% | — |
| Health Studies | 20 | 77% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 16 | 62% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Queen Elizabeth School | Luton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 112 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 26 | 1,142 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 24.11 | 30.41 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | D+ | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 0% | 9% | 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 | 8 | 31% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 8 | 31% | 31% |
| Biology | 6 | 23% | 20% |
| Religious Studies | 6 | 23% | 4% |
| Psychology | — | — | 23% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 6 | 23% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Luton
Challney High School for Boys
Academy converter · 1,197 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.7
Challney High School for Girls
Academy converter · 1,062 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.1
Chiltern Academy
Free schools · 1,203 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.5
Denbigh High School
Academy converter · 1,130 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.6
Icknield High School
Academy converter · 1,452 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.4
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.