Benfield School
Academy converter · 819 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.5
Academy converter
St Mary's Catholic School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,462of 1,395 places
- Free school meals
- 24.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 228
- Ofsted
- Outstanding, 12 September 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: St Mary's Catholic Comprehensive School (URN 108534, until 1 September 2013).
What the data says
Of the 233 pupils who finished Year 11 at St Mary's Catholic School in 2023, 56% stayed on in St Mary's Catholic School’s own sixth form (Newcastle upon Tyne average 39%), 32% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 125 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 70% went to university (Newcastle upon Tyne 29%, England 37%), and 40% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 58.9 against 46.1 across England and 43.9 in Newcastle upon Tyne, with 69% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 99% of the year group took it, against 31% 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 Newcastle upon Tyne and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | St Mary's Catholic School | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 233 | 2,784 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 86% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 90% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 56% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| — further education college | 32% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 9% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 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 | St Mary's Catholic School | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 125 | 6,923 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 74% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 70% | 29% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 40% | 11% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 8% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 10% | 29% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 20% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | St Mary's Catholic School | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 58.9 | 43.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 69% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 84% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 56% | 41% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.40 | 3.93 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 27% | 47% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 47.9 | 33.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 63.0 | 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 | 226 | 99% | 88% | 41% | 22% | 87% |
| English Language | 226 | 99% | 89% | 34% | 20% | 86% |
| English Literature | 225 | 99% | 86% | 36% | 21% | 91% |
| Religious Studies | 225 | 99% | 31% | 46% | 32% | 86% |
| Combined Science | 183 | 80% | 65% | 26% | 9% | 73% |
| History | 111 | 49% | 41% | 42% | 26% | 86% |
| Geography | 108 | 47% | 41% | 42% | 25% | 77% |
| Spanish | 88 | 39% | 19% | 50% | 27% | 92% |
| French | 67 | 29% | 18% | 42% | 29% | 84% |
| Fine Art | 53 | 23% | 9% | 40% | 28% | 91% |
| Physics | 42 | 18% | 23% | 64% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 42 | 18% | 23% | 74% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 42 | 18% | 23% | 79% | 47% | 100% |
| Computer Science | 37 | 16% | 13% | 41% | 30% | 78% |
| Physical Education | 29 | 13% | 11% | 24% | 24% | 79% |
| Design and Technology | 22 | 10% | 11% | 45% | 23% | 82% |
| Drama | 18 | 8% | 7% | 67% | 27% | 94% |
| Music | 4 | 2% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Italian | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Polish | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| German | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Modern Greek | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 33% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 41 | 32% | — |
| Health Studies | 34 | 27% | — |
| Sports Studies | 18 | 14% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | St Mary's Catholic School | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 291 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 127 | 1,502 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.43 | 33.48 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 20% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 42 | 33% | 31% |
| Psychology | 39 | 31% | 23% |
| Biology | 36 | 28% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 35 | 28% | 17% |
| English Language | 33 | 26% | 4% |
| Physics | 25 | 20% | 12% |
| Sociology | 23 | 18% | 13% |
| Geography | 17 | 13% | 10% |
| Economics | 14 | 11% | 13% |
| English Literature | 12 | 9% | 11% |
| History | 11 | 9% | 13% |
| Religious Studies | 10 | 8% | 4% |
| Computer Science | 9 | 7% | 5% |
| Drama | 7 | 6% | 2% |
| Physical Education | 7 | 6% | 3% |
| Film Studies | 6 | 5% | 2% |
| Further Mathematics | 6 | 5% | 5% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 28 | 22% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 12 | 9% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 8% | — |
| Childcare Skills | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 6% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 6% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 5% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 6 | 5% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 6 | 5% | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Economics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
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North East Futures UTC
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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.