Beacon Hill Community School
Community school · 135 pupils
61% stayed in education · Attainment 8 28.8
Academy converter
Cockermouth School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,254of 1,363 places
- Free school meals
- 17.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 223
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 8 February 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Cockermouth School (URN 112381, until 1 September 2015).
What the data says
Of the 210 pupils who finished Year 11 at Cockermouth School in 2023, 47% stayed on in Cockermouth School’s own sixth form (Cumberland average 37%), 34% went to a further education college and 10% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 111 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 59% went to university (Cumberland 33%, England 37%), and 37% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 10% of leavers started one, roughly three times the England figure of 3%.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 51.9 against 46.1 across England and 42.3 in Cumberland, with 58% 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 Cumberland and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Cockermouth School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 210 | 2,780 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 82% | 74% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 47% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 34% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 12% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 5% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 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 | Cockermouth School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 111 | 1,544 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 83% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 59% | 33% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 37% | — | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 9% | 19% | 7% |
| Employment | 20% | 26% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 10% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Cockermouth School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 51.9 | 42.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 58% | 37% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 73% | 58% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 53% | 32% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.80 | 3.76 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 13% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.5 | 31.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 54.4 | 45.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 3% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 222 | 100% | 89% | 21% | 20% | 76% |
| Mathematics | 222 | 100% | 88% | 27% | 22% | 79% |
| English Literature | 219 | 98% | 86% | 21% | 21% | 77% |
| Combined Science | 155 | 70% | 65% | 11% | 9% | 79% |
| Geography | 109 | 49% | 41% | 44% | 25% | 87% |
| History | 99 | 44% | 41% | 24% | 26% | 68% |
| Business Studies | 71 | 32% | 18% | 3% | 20% | 61% |
| French | 65 | 29% | 18% | 31% | 29% | 83% |
| Chemistry | 61 | 27% | 23% | 61% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 61 | 27% | 23% | 72% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 61 | 27% | 23% | 72% | 45% | 100% |
| Spanish | 60 | 27% | 19% | 27% | 27% | 83% |
| Design and Technology | 54 | 24% | 11% | 22% | 23% | 74% |
| Physical Education | 52 | 23% | 11% | 29% | 24% | 81% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 38 | 17% | 8% | 18% | 21% | 74% |
| Art and Design | 28 | 13% | 7% | 75% | 24% | 96% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 12% | 13% | 46% | 30% | 77% |
| Photography | 22 | 10% | 6% | 73% | 19% | 91% |
| Fine Art | 19 | 9% | 9% | 84% | 28% | 100% |
| Religious Studies | 17 | 8% | 31% | 24% | 32% | 71% |
| Drama | 17 | 8% | 7% | 24% | 27% | 88% |
| Music | 14 | 6% | 5% | 57% | 33% | 93% |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Engineering | 52 | 50% | — |
| Health Studies | 41 | 40% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 18 | 17% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Cockermouth School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 211 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 103 | 899 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 41.39 | 31.80 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 39% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 43 | 42% | 31% |
| Psychology | 35 | 34% | 23% |
| Chemistry | 35 | 34% | 17% |
| Biology | 28 | 27% | 20% |
| Physics | 23 | 22% | 12% |
| History | 18 | 17% | 13% |
| Art and Design | 16 | 16% | 1% |
| Economics | 14 | 14% | 13% |
| Geography | 14 | 14% | 10% |
| English Literature | 12 | 12% | 11% |
| Physical Education | 10 | 10% | 3% |
| Further Mathematics | 8 | 8% | 5% |
| Computer Science | 7 | 7% | 5% |
| English Language | 6 | 6% | 4% |
| Spanish | 6 | 6% | 2% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 18 | 17% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 17 | 17% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 7 | 7% | — |
| Medical Science | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Cumberland
Caldew School
Academy converter · sixth form · 990 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.3
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.