Bitterne Park School
Foundation school · sixth form · 2,036 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.1
Foundation special school
The Polygon School
- Pupils on roll
- 77of 78 places
- Free school meals
- 83.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 12
- Ofsted
- Report card, 2 December 2025Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Strong standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Strong standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met
What the data says
Of the 14 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Polygon School in 2023, 14% moved to a sixth form college, 43% to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.
Almost every leaver found a sustained destination: only 0% were not in education, work or training six months on, against 6% nationally.
Almost nobody goes straight into an apprenticeship or a job: none took an apprenticeship and none went into work, against 3% and 3% across England.
The Polygon School is a special school: its GCSE figures (Attainment 8 of 2.4, 0% with grade 5 or above in English and maths) are published by DfE for completeness and are not comparable with mainstream schools.
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 Southampton and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Polygon School | Southampton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 14 | 2,315 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 71% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 71% | 84% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 0% | 5% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 14% | 53% | 13% |
| — further education college | 43% | 24% | 37% |
| — other education | 14% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 0% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 29% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Polygon School | Southampton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 2.4 | 41.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 39% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 57% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 0% | 36% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 0.00 | 3.71 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 100% | 39% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 2.4 | 31.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | — | 48.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 0% | 30% | 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.
Other secondary schools in Southampton
Cantell School
Foundation school · 1,313 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.9
Oasis Academy Lord's Hill
Academy sponsor led · 667 pupils
69% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.0
Oasis Academy Mayfield
Academy sponsor led · 884 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.0
Oasis Academy Sholing
Academy sponsor led · 1,030 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.3
Redbridge Community School
Foundation school · 1,106 pupils
67% stayed in education · Attainment 8 32.2
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.