Benfield School
Academy converter · 819 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.5
Academy converter
Sacred Heart Catholic High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,424of 1,405 places
- Free school meals
- 42.4%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 224
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 3 December 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Sacred Heart High School (URN 108536, until 1 December 2011).
What the data says
Of the 224 pupils who finished Year 11 at Sacred Heart Catholic High School in 2023, 62% stayed on in Sacred Heart Catholic High School’s own sixth form (Newcastle upon Tyne average 39%), 29% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 142 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 61% went to university (Newcastle upon Tyne 29%, England 37%), and 28% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Art and Design is unusually popular at GCSE: 32% of the year group took it, against 7% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 52.1 against 46.1 across England and 43.9 in Newcastle upon Tyne, with 54% 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 Newcastle upon Tyne and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 224 | 2,784 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 96% | 86% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 92% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 62% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| — further education college | 29% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 9% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 5% | 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 | This school | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 142 | 6,923 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 74% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 61% | 29% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 28% | 11% | 19% |
| Further education | 5% | 8% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 15% | 29% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 20% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 52.1 | 43.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 54% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 77% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 36% | 41% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.40 | 3.93 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 31% | 47% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 41.0 | 33.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 57.1 | 53.2 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 21% | 23% | 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 | 224 | 100% | 88% | 24% | 22% | 78% |
| Religious Studies | 224 | 100% | 31% | 40% | 32% | 76% |
| English Language | 224 | 100% | 89% | 24% | 20% | 81% |
| English Literature | 222 | 99% | 86% | 28% | 21% | 82% |
| Combined Science | 201 | 90% | 65% | 9% | 9% | 63% |
| Geography | 142 | 63% | 41% | 21% | 25% | 70% |
| Business Studies | 90 | 40% | 18% | 40% | 20% | 81% |
| History | 78 | 35% | 41% | 24% | 26% | 65% |
| Art and Design | 71 | 32% | 7% | 31% | 24% | 94% |
| Spanish | 46 | 21% | 19% | 39% | 27% | 87% |
| French | 42 | 19% | 18% | 52% | 29% | 83% |
| Computer Science | 40 | 18% | 13% | 43% | 30% | 93% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 39 | 17% | 8% | 49% | 21% | 97% |
| Physical Education | 39 | 17% | 11% | 5% | 24% | 59% |
| Biology | 23 | 10% | 23% | 65% | 45% | 96% |
| Chemistry | 22 | 10% | 23% | 68% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 22 | 10% | 23% | 64% | 46% | 100% |
| Dance | 19 | 8% | 1% | 21% | 27% | 84% |
| Design and Technology | 18 | 8% | 11% | 22% | 23% | 72% |
| Textiles | 14 | 6% | 2% | 86% | 27% | 100% |
| Music | 13 | 6% | 5% | 23% | 33% | 85% |
| Drama | 12 | 5% | 7% | 50% | 27% | 92% |
| 3D Design | 9 | 4% | 2% | 78% | 16% | 100% |
| Italian | 5 | 2% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Polish | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 45 | 37% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 30 | 24% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 19 | 15% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 266 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 123 | 1,502 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.40 | 33.48 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 12% | 12% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Religious Studies | 37 | 30% | 4% |
| Sociology | 33 | 27% | 13% |
| Psychology | 25 | 20% | 23% |
| Biology | 22 | 18% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 19 | 15% | 17% |
| Geography | 15 | 12% | 10% |
| History | 15 | 12% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 14 | 11% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 14 | 11% | 31% |
| Politics | 14 | 11% | 6% |
| Film Studies | 13 | 11% | 2% |
| English Literature | 12 | 10% | 11% |
| Fine Art | 9 | 7% | 3% |
| Economics | 9 | 7% | 13% |
| English Language | 9 | 7% | 4% |
| Computer Science | 7 | 6% | 5% |
| English Language and Literature | 7 | 6% | 2% |
| 3D Design | 6 | 5% | 1% |
| Spanish | 6 | 5% | 2% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law / Legal Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 23 | 19% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 14 | 11% | — |
| Childcare Skills | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 11% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 12 | 10% | — |
| Biology | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 5% | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | 6 | 5% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
Where Sacred Heart Catholic High School is
Other secondary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne 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 Newcastle upon Tyne’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne
Excelsior Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,339 pupils
75% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.4
Gosforth Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,925 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.4
Jesmond Park Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 2,092 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.4
Kenton School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,589 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.7
North East Futures UTC
University technical college · sixth form · 314 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 35.4
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.