Benfield School
Academy converter · 819 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.5
Studio schools
Studio West
- Pupils on roll
- 496of 640 places
- Free school meals
- 67.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 103
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 3 December 2024Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 98 pupils who finished Year 11 at Studio West in 2023, 6% stayed on in Studio West’s own sixth form (Newcastle upon Tyne average 39%), 59% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
22% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 30.9 against 46.1 across England and 43.9 in Newcastle upon Tyne, with 28% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Art and Design is unusually popular at GCSE: 47% 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 Newcastle upon Tyne and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Studio West | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 98 | 2,784 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 73% | 86% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 66% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 6% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| — further education college | 59% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 22% | 9% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 5% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
No published destinations for sixth-form leavers yet.
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Studio West | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 30.9 | 43.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 28% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 42% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 7% | 41% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.57 | 3.93 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 65% | 47% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 25.9 | 33.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 40.2 | 53.2 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 4% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 103 | 100% | 89% | 5% | 20% | 43% |
| Mathematics | 103 | 100% | 88% | 10% | 22% | 51% |
| English Literature | 103 | 100% | 86% | 5% | 21% | 45% |
| Combined Science | 101 | 98% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 33% |
| Geography | 51 | 50% | 41% | 8% | 25% | 29% |
| Art and Design | 48 | 47% | 7% | 4% | 24% | 79% |
| History | 43 | 42% | 41% | 5% | 26% | 9% |
| Religious Studies | 33 | 32% | 31% | 6% | 32% | 24% |
| Design and Technology | 18 | 17% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 11% |
| Graphic Communication | 17 | 17% | 1% | 0% | 23% | 76% |
| Business Studies | 15 | 15% | 18% | 0% | 20% | 0% |
| Computer Science | 11 | 11% | 13% | 9% | 30% | 27% |
| French | 6 | 6% | 18% | 0% | 29% | 100% |
| Music | 5 | 5% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Physics | 2 | 2% | 23% | — | 46% | — |
| Biology | 2 | 2% | 23% | — | 45% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 33 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 12 | 100% | — |
| Sports Studies | 12 | 100% | — |
| Personal Health | 3 | 50% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Studio West | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 8 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 6 | 1,502 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 22.00 | 33.48 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | — | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | — | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
| Law | — | — | 4% |
| Psychology | — | — | 23% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Engineering | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
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.