Belmont Community School
Community school · 887 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.4
Other independent school · independent
Barnard Castle School
- Pupils on roll
- 558of 750 places
- Free school meals
- —
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 79
- Ofsted
- Not covered by Ofsted school inspections
What the data says
The Department for Education has not published where Barnard Castle School’s Year 11 leavers went next (destination measures are not published for independent schools), so this page relies on the school’s results and subjects.
Art and Design is unusually popular at GCSE: 23% of the year group took it, against 7% of pupils across England.
Most pupils take the three separate sciences: at least 70% sat Biology, Chemistry and Physics as individual GCSEs, compared with about 23% nationally.
1% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE in 2025 (England 45%). Attainment 8 is not comparable for independent schools, which often enter pupils for IGCSEs that the Department for Education does not count.
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 County Durham and England.
The Department for Education has not published destination figures for this school (new school, small cohort or not a state-funded school).
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 | Barnard Castle School | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 43.0 | 44.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 1% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 1% | 61% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 0% | 33% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.76 | 3.75 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | — | 32% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | — | 35.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | — | 48.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | — | 4% | 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 | 79 | 100% | 89% | 28% | 20% | 91% |
| English Literature | 72 | 91% | 86% | 26% | 21% | 92% |
| Chemistry | 55 | 70% | 23% | 25% | 47% | 95% |
| Physics | 55 | 70% | 23% | 31% | 46% | 93% |
| Biology | 55 | 70% | 23% | 29% | 45% | 96% |
| Spanish | 32 | 41% | 19% | 22% | 27% | 91% |
| Geography | 26 | 33% | 41% | 46% | 25% | 92% |
| Classical Civilisation | 26 | 33% | 1% | 23% | 40% | 62% |
| Combined Science | 24 | 30% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 88% |
| Business Studies | 22 | 28% | 18% | 27% | 20% | 68% |
| French | 22 | 28% | 18% | 27% | 29% | 86% |
| Physical Education | 19 | 24% | 11% | 32% | 24% | 95% |
| Art and Design | 18 | 23% | 7% | 44% | 24% | 100% |
| Drama | 12 | 15% | 7% | 8% | 27% | 92% |
| Religious Studies | 11 | 14% | 31% | 55% | 32% | 100% |
| German | 7 | 9% | 5% | 29% | 33% | 71% |
| Music | 6 | 8% | 5% | 33% | 33% | 83% |
| Computer Science | 5 | 6% | 13% | — | 30% | — |
| Latin | 3 | 4% | 1% | — | 74% | — |
| Mathematics | 2 | 3% | 88% | — | 22% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 2 | 3% | — |
| Sports Studies | 2 | 3% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Barnard Castle School | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 164 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 76 | 1,658 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.14 | 35.70 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 21% | 19% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 21 | 28% | 23% |
| Geography | 15 | 20% | 10% |
| History | 15 | 20% | 13% |
| Biology | 15 | 20% | 20% |
| Economics | 14 | 18% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 12 | 16% | 31% |
| Business Studies | 11 | 14% | 13% |
| English Language | 11 | 14% | 4% |
| Chemistry | 10 | 13% | 17% |
| Physics | 9 | 12% | 12% |
| Art and Design | 6 | 8% | 1% |
| Ancient History | — | — | 0% |
| Chinese | — | — | 0% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| Latin | — | — | 0% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 15 | 20% | — |
| Multimedia | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 10 | 13% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 8 | 11% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 9% | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Mathematics (Numeracy) | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Drama | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Drama | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in County Durham
Bishop Barrington Academy
Academy converter · 599 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.4
Consett Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,493 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.2
Dene Academy
Academy converter · 638 pupils
78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.4
Durham Academy
Academy converter · 405 pupils
67% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.4
Durham Johnston Comprehensive School
Community school · sixth form · 1,667 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 55.2
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.