Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,505 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.2
Academy converter
Whickham School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,690of 1,713 places
- Free school meals
- 21.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 265
- Ofsted
- School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next, 14 January 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Whickham School (URN 108404, until 1 September 2011).
What the data says
Of the 253 pupils who finished Year 11 at Whickham School in 2023, 58% stayed on in Whickham School’s own sixth form (Gateshead average 40%), 31% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 183 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 48% went to university (Gateshead 33%, England 37%), and 18% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 17% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
German is unusually popular at GCSE: 32% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 53.0 against 46.1 across England and 47.0 in Gateshead, with 60% 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 Gateshead and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Whickham School | Gateshead | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 253 | 2,044 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 90% | 84% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 58% | 40% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 31% | 42% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 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 | Whickham School | Gateshead | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 183 | 2,144 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 79% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 48% | 33% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 18% | 17% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 17% | 12% | 7% |
| Employment | 24% | 28% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Whickham School | Gateshead | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 53.0 | 47.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 60% | 50% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 81% | 69% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 57% | 49% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.79 | 4.23 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 20% | 31% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 40.8 | 33.9 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 56.0 | 52.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 7% | 10% | 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 | 265 | 100% | 88% | 28% | 22% | 87% |
| English Language | 265 | 100% | 89% | 27% | 20% | 80% |
| English Literature | 263 | 99% | 86% | 20% | 21% | 76% |
| Combined Science | 172 | 65% | 65% | 10% | 9% | 67% |
| Geography | 164 | 62% | 41% | 20% | 25% | 71% |
| History | 106 | 40% | 41% | 47% | 26% | 75% |
| German | 86 | 32% | 5% | 27% | 33% | 85% |
| Chemistry | 86 | 32% | 23% | 35% | 47% | 91% |
| Biology | 86 | 32% | 23% | 38% | 45% | 95% |
| Physics | 86 | 32% | 23% | 36% | 46% | 88% |
| French | 67 | 25% | 18% | 10% | 29% | 76% |
| Citizenship Studies | 58 | 22% | 3% | 21% | 19% | 74% |
| Fine Art | 54 | 20% | 9% | 19% | 28% | 96% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 41 | 15% | 8% | 22% | 21% | 85% |
| Religious Studies | 40 | 15% | 31% | 30% | 32% | 80% |
| Physical Education | 38 | 14% | 11% | 47% | 24% | 95% |
| Business Studies | 37 | 14% | 18% | 24% | 20% | 86% |
| Computer Science | 29 | 11% | 13% | 28% | 30% | 83% |
| Design and Technology | 21 | 8% | 11% | 33% | 23% | 81% |
| Textiles | 18 | 7% | 2% | 22% | 27% | 78% |
| Drama | 16 | 6% | 7% | 50% | 27% | 94% |
| Music | 10 | 4% | 5% | 40% | 33% | 70% |
| Chinese | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Spanish | 1 | 0% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
| Statistics | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 101 | 78% | — |
| Small Business Management | 75 | 58% | — |
| Health Studies | 40 | 31% | — |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 24 | 19% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 23 | 18% | — |
| Dance: General | 11 | 9% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Whickham School | Gateshead | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 336 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 129 | 769 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.89 | 34.17 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 19% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 33 | 26% | 31% |
| Psychology | 33 | 26% | 23% |
| Business Studies | 28 | 22% | 13% |
| History | 24 | 19% | 13% |
| English Language | 23 | 18% | 4% |
| Biology | 19 | 15% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 19 | 15% | 17% |
| Sociology | 18 | 14% | 13% |
| Product Design | 16 | 12% | 2% |
| Physics | 15 | 12% | 12% |
| Geography | 15 | 12% | 10% |
| English Literature | 15 | 12% | 11% |
| Textiles | 14 | 11% | 1% |
| Computer Science | 13 | 10% | 5% |
| Fine Art | 11 | 9% | 3% |
| Physical Education | 9 | 7% | 3% |
| Religious Studies | 8 | 6% | 4% |
| Further Mathematics | 6 | 5% | 5% |
| Media Studies | 6 | 5% | 4% |
| Economics | — | — | 13% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| Arabic | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 46 | 36% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 18 | 14% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 18 | 14% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 10% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 12 | 9% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 12 | 9% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 9 | 7% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 8 | 6% | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | 7 | 5% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 5% | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Biology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Gateshead
Grace College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,125 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.9
Heworth Grange School
Academy sponsor led · 910 pupils
75% stayed in education · Attainment 8 36.4
Kingsmeadow Community School
Community school · sixth form · 868 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.9
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,334 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.6
St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,401 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
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.