Beacon Hill Community School
Community school · 135 pupils
61% stayed in education · Attainment 8 28.8
Academy converter
William Howard School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,312of 1,462 places
- Free school meals
- 18.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 208
- Ofsted
- Standards maintained, 25 June 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: William Howard School (URN 112439, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 205 pupils who finished Year 11 at William Howard School in 2023, 38% stayed on in William Howard School’s own sixth form (Cumberland average 37%), 38% went to a further education college and 13% started an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 13% of leavers started one, roughly three times the England figure of 3%.
Among the 94 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 55% went to university (Cumberland 33%, England 37%), and 18% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Design and Technology is unusually popular at GCSE: 29% of the year group took it, against 11% 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 | William Howard School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 205 | 2,780 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 77% | 74% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 38% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 38% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 13% | 12% | 3% |
| Employment | 5% | 5% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 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 | William Howard School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 94 | 1,544 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 98% | 83% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 55% | 33% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 18% | — | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 19% | 7% |
| Employment | 34% | 26% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 2% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | William Howard School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.0 | 42.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 43% | 37% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 59% | 58% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 35% | 32% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.13 | 3.76 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 19% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 28.0 | 31.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 49.0 | 45.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 2% | 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 | 204 | 98% | 88% | 18% | 22% | 66% |
| English Language | 204 | 98% | 89% | 20% | 20% | 67% |
| English Literature | 203 | 98% | 86% | 12% | 21% | 68% |
| Geography | 155 | 75% | 41% | 26% | 25% | 68% |
| Combined Science | 142 | 68% | 65% | 2% | 9% | 49% |
| Chemistry | 62 | 30% | 23% | 47% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 62 | 30% | 23% | 47% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 62 | 30% | 23% | 42% | 45% | 100% |
| Design and Technology | 61 | 29% | 11% | 16% | 23% | 67% |
| Spanish | 52 | 25% | 19% | 46% | 27% | 88% |
| History | 50 | 24% | 41% | 54% | 26% | 68% |
| Physical Education | 32 | 15% | 11% | 25% | 24% | 78% |
| French | 23 | 11% | 18% | 39% | 29% | 87% |
| Drama | 17 | 8% | 7% | 12% | 27% | 65% |
| Art and Design | 17 | 8% | 7% | 12% | 24% | 88% |
| Computer Science | 16 | 8% | 13% | 13% | 30% | 38% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 16 | 8% | 8% | 0% | 21% | 31% |
| Religious Studies | 16 | 8% | 31% | 44% | 32% | 75% |
| Music | 15 | 7% | 5% | 33% | 33% | 93% |
| Photography | 12 | 6% | 6% | 8% | 19% | 92% |
| Statistics | 12 | 6% | 5% | 0% | 20% | 0% |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 25 | 35% | — |
| Animal Care (Non-Agricultural) | 24 | 33% | — |
| Sports Studies | 20 | 28% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 17 | 24% | — |
| Multimedia | 14 | 19% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | William Howard School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 150 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 72 | 899 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.12 | 31.80 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 13% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | 19 | 26% | 1% |
| History | 15 | 21% | 13% |
| English Language and Literature | 14 | 19% | 2% |
| Chemistry | 13 | 18% | 17% |
| Psychology | 13 | 18% | 23% |
| Product Design | 12 | 17% | 2% |
| Geography | 12 | 17% | 10% |
| Physics | 12 | 17% | 12% |
| Biology | 12 | 17% | 20% |
| Business Studies | 10 | 14% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 8 | 11% | 31% |
| Physical Education | 7 | 10% | 3% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Turkish | — | — | 0% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 34 | 47% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 24 | 33% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 17 | 24% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 14% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 11% | — |
| Film / Video / Television Production | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 10% | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
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.