Beacon Hill Community School
Community school · 135 pupils
61% stayed in education · Attainment 8 28.8
Voluntary aided school
St John Henry Newman Catholic School
- Pupils on roll
- 703of 700 places
- Free school meals
- 36.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 127
- Ofsted
- Good, 24 May 2022Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 81 pupils who finished Year 11 at St John Henry Newman Catholic School in 2023, 17% stayed on in St John Henry Newman Catholic School’s own sixth form (Cumberland average 37%), 54% went to a further education college and 10% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 20 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 70% went to university (Cumberland 33%, England 37%), and 15% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 10% of leavers started one, roughly three times the England figure of 3%.
Spanish is unusually popular at GCSE: 62% of the year group took it, against 19% 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 Cumberland and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 81 | 2,780 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 72% | 74% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 17% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 54% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 12% | 3% |
| Employment | 6% | 5% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 10% | 7% | 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 | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 20 | 1,544 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 100% | 83% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 70% | 33% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 15% | — | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 19% | 7% |
| Employment | 25% | 26% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 0% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.0 | 42.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 30% | 37% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 53% | 58% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 58% | 32% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.79 | 3.76 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 28% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.6 | 31.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 43.1 | 45.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 17% | 5% | 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 | 121 | 95% | 88% | 16% | 22% | 68% |
| English Language | 120 | 94% | 89% | 12% | 20% | 57% |
| English Literature | 114 | 90% | 86% | 11% | 21% | 58% |
| Religious Studies | 112 | 88% | 31% | 18% | 32% | 54% |
| Combined Science | 90 | 71% | 65% | 8% | 9% | 64% |
| Spanish | 79 | 62% | 19% | 9% | 27% | 46% |
| Geography | 63 | 50% | 41% | 16% | 25% | 51% |
| History | 48 | 38% | 41% | 17% | 26% | 52% |
| Fine Art | 37 | 29% | 9% | 0% | 28% | 57% |
| Physical Education | 35 | 28% | 11% | 14% | 24% | 66% |
| Computer Science | 32 | 25% | 13% | 9% | 30% | 56% |
| Chemistry | 25 | 20% | 23% | 32% | 47% | 96% |
| Biology | 25 | 20% | 23% | 36% | 45% | 88% |
| Physics | 25 | 20% | 23% | 32% | 46% | 96% |
| Design and Technology | 18 | 14% | 11% | 6% | 23% | 50% |
| Polish | 11 | 9% | 1% | 73% | 84% | 91% |
| Music | 5 | 4% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Portuguese | 2 | 2% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Art and Design | 1 | 1% | 7% | — | 24% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Psychology | 1 | 1% | 3% | — | 22% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 80 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 25 | 100% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 20 | 100% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 7 | 64% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 25 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 11 | 899 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 24.35 | 31.80 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | — | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | — | 15% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| English Language and Literature | — | — | 2% |
| Mathematics | — | — | 31% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Psychology | — | — | 23% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 9 | 82% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Cumberland
Caldew School
Academy converter · sixth form · 990 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.3
Cockermouth School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,254 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
Energy Coast UTC
University technical college · sixth form · 383 pupils
61% stayed in education · Attainment 8 24.2
Keswick School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,208 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.1
Millom School
Community school · sixth form · 476 pupils
48% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.9
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.