Abbeyfield School
Academy converter · sixth form · 902 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.7
Academy converter
Sheldon School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,467of 1,800 places
- Free school meals
- 19.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 268
- Ofsted
- Good, 12 March 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Sheldon School (URN 126499, until 1 April 2011).
What the data says
Of the 276 pupils who finished Year 11 at Sheldon School in 2023, 49% stayed on in Sheldon School’s own sixth form (Wiltshire average 43%), 37% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Food Preparation and Nutrition is unusually popular at GCSE: 34% of the year group took it, against 8% of pupils across England.
Among the 157 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 42% went to university (Wiltshire 31%, England 37%), and 24% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 45.2 against 46.1 across England and 46.2 in Wiltshire, with 42% 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 Wiltshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Sheldon School | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 276 | 5,123 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 94% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 89% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 49% | 43% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 6% | 13% |
| — further education college | 37% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 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 | Sheldon School | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 157 | 3,827 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 85% | 82% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 42% | 31% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 24% | 23% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 7% | 7% |
| Employment | 35% | 38% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Sheldon School | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.2 | 46.2 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 42% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 65% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 25% | 31% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.89 | 4.05 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 16% | 19% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 34.1 | 32.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 47.4 | 49.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 7% | 8% | 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 | 260 | 97% | 88% | 21% | 22% | 72% |
| English Language | 259 | 97% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 70% |
| English Literature | 249 | 93% | 86% | 14% | 21% | 78% |
| Combined Science | 197 | 74% | 65% | 7% | 9% | 57% |
| Business Studies | 111 | 41% | 18% | 13% | 20% | 71% |
| History | 107 | 40% | 41% | 23% | 26% | 66% |
| Geography | 103 | 38% | 41% | 24% | 25% | 67% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 92 | 34% | 8% | 26% | 21% | 88% |
| Design and Technology | 75 | 28% | 11% | 21% | 23% | 73% |
| Biology | 58 | 22% | 23% | 41% | 45% | 98% |
| Physical Education | 58 | 22% | 11% | 10% | 24% | 71% |
| Physics | 58 | 22% | 23% | 50% | 46% | 97% |
| Chemistry | 56 | 21% | 23% | 36% | 47% | 98% |
| French | 50 | 19% | 18% | 28% | 29% | 82% |
| Drama | 34 | 13% | 7% | 26% | 27% | 65% |
| Fine Art | 33 | 12% | 9% | 30% | 28% | 91% |
| German | 30 | 11% | 5% | 17% | 33% | 70% |
| Photography | 28 | 10% | 6% | 14% | 19% | 93% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 10% | 13% | 19% | 30% | 62% |
| Religious Studies | 26 | 10% | 31% | 35% | 32% | 77% |
| Film Studies | 23 | 9% | 1% | 22% | 20% | 100% |
| Music | 16 | 6% | 5% | 38% | 33% | 69% |
| Spanish | 15 | 6% | 19% | 20% | 27% | 60% |
| Art and Design | 13 | 5% | 7% | 8% | 24% | 92% |
| Dance | 13 | 5% | 1% | 23% | 27% | 69% |
| Chinese | 6 | 2% | 1% | 100% | 75% | 100% |
| Bengali | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 35% | — |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Statistics | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 37 | 26% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 31 | 22% | — |
| Multimedia | 19 | 13% | — |
| Additional Mathematics FSMQ | 3 | 2% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Sheldon School | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 286 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 142 | 2,026 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 32.51 | 35.35 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 13% | 18% | 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 | 43 | 30% | 23% |
| Economics | 37 | 26% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 32 | 23% | 31% |
| Business Studies | 26 | 18% | 13% |
| Sociology | 21 | 15% | 13% |
| History | 19 | 13% | 13% |
| Physics | 19 | 13% | 12% |
| Biology | 19 | 13% | 20% |
| Physical Education | 16 | 11% | 3% |
| English Literature | 13 | 9% | 11% |
| Geography | 13 | 9% | 10% |
| Fine Art | 11 | 8% | 3% |
| Politics | 11 | 8% | 6% |
| Chemistry | 11 | 8% | 17% |
| English Language | 10 | 7% | 4% |
| D and T Textiles Technology | 10 | 7% | 0% |
| Product Design | 9 | 6% | 2% |
| Media Studies | 8 | 6% | 4% |
| Music Technology | 6 | 4% | 0% |
| Computer Science | 6 | 4% | 5% |
| Drama | 6 | 4% | 2% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| Italian | — | — | 0% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Russian | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 38 | 27% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 28 | 20% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 27 | 19% | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Wiltshire
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Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School
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Hardenhuish School
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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.