Beacon Hill Community School
Community school · 135 pupils
61% stayed in education · Attainment 8 28.8
Academy converter
Caldew School
- Pupils on roll
- 990of 1,050 places
- Free school meals
- 19.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 168
- Ofsted
- Good, 21 June 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Caldew School (URN 112440, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 164 pupils who finished Year 11 at Caldew School in 2023, 43% stayed on in Caldew School’s own sixth form (Cumberland average 37%), 38% went to a further education college and 9% started an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 9% of leavers started one, roughly three times the England figure of 3%.
Among the 49 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 39% went to university (Cumberland 33%, England 37%), and 12% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 12% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Art and Design is unusually popular at GCSE: 21% of the year group took it, against 7% 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 | Caldew School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 164 | 2,780 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 81% | 74% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 43% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 38% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 9% | 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 | Caldew School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 49 | 1,544 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 82% | 83% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 39% | 33% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 12% | — | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 12% | 19% | 7% |
| Employment | 29% | 26% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 14% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Caldew School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 44.3 | 42.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 39% | 37% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 62% | 58% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 41% | 32% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.99 | 3.76 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 20% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.9 | 31.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.4 | 45.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 4% | 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 | 167 | 99% | 88% | 13% | 22% | 67% |
| English Language | 167 | 99% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 68% |
| English Literature | 166 | 99% | 86% | 8% | 21% | 70% |
| Combined Science | 111 | 66% | 65% | 4% | 9% | 48% |
| Geography | 99 | 59% | 41% | 26% | 25% | 53% |
| History | 91 | 54% | 41% | 18% | 26% | 59% |
| Spanish | 70 | 42% | 19% | 14% | 27% | 60% |
| Physics | 55 | 33% | 23% | 27% | 46% | 96% |
| Biology | 55 | 33% | 23% | 35% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 55 | 33% | 23% | 31% | 47% | 96% |
| Physical Education | 44 | 26% | 11% | 7% | 24% | 64% |
| Design and Technology | 40 | 24% | 11% | 5% | 23% | 45% |
| Art and Design | 35 | 21% | 7% | 11% | 24% | 74% |
| Psychology | 30 | 18% | 3% | 13% | 22% | 37% |
| Business Studies | 30 | 18% | 18% | 17% | 20% | 70% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 19 | 11% | 8% | 5% | 21% | 47% |
| Music | 16 | 10% | 5% | 13% | 33% | 69% |
| Photography | 12 | 7% | 6% | 0% | 19% | 67% |
| Drama | 12 | 7% | 7% | 17% | 27% | 67% |
| Computer Science | 12 | 7% | 13% | 17% | 30% | 25% |
| Polish | 3 | 2% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Religious Studies | 1 | 1% | 31% | — | 32% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 27 | 44% | — |
| Animal Care (Non-Agricultural) | 21 | 34% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 21 | 34% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 11 | 18% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 7 | 11% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Caldew School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 118 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 61 | 899 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 26.24 | 31.80 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 8% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 24 | 39% | 23% |
| English Literature | 14 | 23% | 11% |
| Biology | 9 | 15% | 20% |
| Media Studies | 9 | 15% | 4% |
| Business Studies | 8 | 13% | 13% |
| History | 8 | 13% | 13% |
| Physics | 8 | 13% | 12% |
| Mathematics | 7 | 11% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 7 | 11% | 17% |
| English Language | 7 | 11% | 4% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | 29 | 48% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 27 | 44% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 27 | 44% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 24 | 39% | — |
| History | GCE AS level (All) | 13 | 21% | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (All) | 12 | 20% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 10 | 16% | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (All) | 9 | 15% | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | 9 | 15% | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (All) | 8 | 13% | — |
| English Language | GCE AS level (All) | 7 | 11% | — |
| Applied Sciences | VRQ Level 3 | 6 | 10% | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| English Language | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Geography | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Geography | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Where Caldew School is
Other secondary schools in Cumberland are shown for comparison; darker blue means more Year 11 leavers stayed in education. The last distance at which this school offered places is not yet on file — it comes from Cumberland’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in Cumberland
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
Netherhall School
Community school · sixth form · 894 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.7
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.