Astor Secondary School
Academy converter · sixth form · 732 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 27.9
Academy converter
Herne Bay High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,507of 1,494 places
- Free school meals
- 33.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 266
- Ofsted
- Good, 24 May 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Herne Bay High School (URN 118920, until 1 March 2011).
What the data says
Of the 252 pupils who finished Year 11 at Herne Bay High School in 2023, 50% stayed on in Herne Bay High School’s own sixth form (Kent average 56%), 33% went to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 132 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 37% went to university (Kent 39%, England 37%), and 2% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 36.8 against 46.1 across England and 46.7 in Kent, with 22% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
A level grades average C, 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, Media Studies and Business Studies.
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 Kent and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Herne Bay High School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 252 | 17,954 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 83% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 50% | 56% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 33% | 28% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 4% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 5% | 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.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Herne Bay High School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 132 | 14,947 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 37% | 39% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 2% | 20% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 38% | 30% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 13% | 15% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Herne Bay High School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 36.8 | 46.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 22% | 47% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 51% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 8% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.89 | 4.18 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 31% | 25% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 28.5 | 32.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 40.4 | 51.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 1% | 12% | 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 | 265 | 100% | 89% | 5% | 20% | 59% |
| Mathematics | 265 | 100% | 88% | 7% | 22% | 57% |
| English Literature | 225 | 85% | 86% | 3% | 21% | 61% |
| Combined Science | 144 | 54% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 21% |
| History | 129 | 48% | 41% | 8% | 26% | 43% |
| Biology | 107 | 40% | 23% | 7% | 45% | 83% |
| Physics | 107 | 40% | 23% | 6% | 46% | 78% |
| Chemistry | 107 | 40% | 23% | 5% | 47% | 62% |
| Business Studies | 75 | 28% | 18% | 0% | 20% | 36% |
| Geography | 53 | 20% | 41% | 8% | 25% | 42% |
| Religious Studies | 47 | 18% | 31% | 40% | 32% | 81% |
| French | 43 | 16% | 18% | 5% | 29% | 49% |
| Fine Art | 36 | 14% | 9% | 33% | 28% | 92% |
| Spanish | 27 | 10% | 19% | 7% | 27% | 41% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 10% | 13% | 8% | 30% | 42% |
| Dance | 24 | 9% | 1% | 17% | 27% | 79% |
| Sociology | 24 | 9% | 4% | 21% | 21% | 75% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 18 | 7% | 8% | 0% | 21% | 72% |
| Drama | 17 | 6% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 65% |
| Photography | 17 | 6% | 6% | 0% | 19% | 100% |
| Graphic Communication | 14 | 5% | 1% | 7% | 23% | 93% |
| Design and Technology | 13 | 5% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 69% |
| 3D Design | 4 | 2% | 2% | — | 16% | — |
| Citizenship Studies | 3 | 1% | 3% | — | 19% | — |
| Psychology | 3 | 1% | 3% | — | 22% | — |
| Music | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 82 | 99% | — |
| Health Studies | 36 | 43% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 35 | 42% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | 22 | 27% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 9 | 11% | — |
| Personal Health | 3 | 4% | — |
| Small Business Management | 2 | 2% | — |
| Health Studies | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Herne Bay High School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 219 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 83 | 7,794 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.75 | 34.87 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 0% | 17% | 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 | 25 | 30% | 13% |
| Media Studies | 24 | 29% | 4% |
| Business Studies | 22 | 27% | 13% |
| Psychology | 19 | 23% | 23% |
| Fine Art | 14 | 17% | 3% |
| English Literature | 13 | 16% | 11% |
| Law | 13 | 16% | 4% |
| History | 11 | 13% | 13% |
| Graphic Communication | 10 | 12% | 2% |
| Mathematics | 10 | 12% | 31% |
| Religious Studies | 9 | 11% | 4% |
| Photography | 7 | 8% | 3% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| English Language and Literature | — | — | 2% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 13 | 16% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 12 | 14% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 11 | 13% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma at Level 3 | 11 | 13% | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 7 | 8% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 6 | 7% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Kent
Aylesford School
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Barton Court Grammar School
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Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
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Borden Grammar School
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Brockhill Park Performing Arts College
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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.