Ashington Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 964 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.1
Academy sponsor led
Bedlington Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 822of 850 places
- Free school meals
- 33.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 141
- Ofsted
- Good, 13 September 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Bedlingtonshire Community High School (URN 122360, until 15 June 2017).
What the data says
Of the 139 pupils who finished Year 11 at Bedlington Academy in 2023, 27% stayed on in Bedlington Academy’s own sixth form (Northumberland average 43%), 49% went to a further education college and 12% started an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 12% of leavers started one, roughly three times the England figure of 3%.
Among the 37 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 46% went to university (Northumberland 48%, England 37%), and 34% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Art and Design is unusually popular at GCSE: 25% 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 Northumberland and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Bedlington Academy | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 139 | 3,151 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 76% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 27% | 43% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| — further education college | 49% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 12% | 6% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 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 | Bedlington Academy | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 37 | 1,385 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 84% | 87% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 46% | 48% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 34% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 3% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 11% | 11% | 7% |
| Employment | 24% | 25% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 14% | 10% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Bedlington Academy | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 47.4 | 44.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 44% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 75% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 40% | 32% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.16 | 3.82 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 32% | 27% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 37.5 | 30.9 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 52.1 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 1% | 3% | 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 Literature | 141 | 100% | 86% | 26% | 21% | 78% |
| English Language | 141 | 100% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 68% |
| Mathematics | 141 | 100% | 88% | 23% | 22% | 79% |
| Combined Science | 117 | 83% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 65% |
| History | 104 | 74% | 41% | 14% | 26% | 50% |
| Spanish | 56 | 40% | 19% | 14% | 27% | 82% |
| Geography | 46 | 33% | 41% | 20% | 25% | 59% |
| Physical Education | 41 | 29% | 11% | 10% | 24% | 46% |
| Art and Design | 35 | 25% | 7% | 17% | 24% | 74% |
| Religious Studies | 30 | 21% | 31% | 23% | 32% | 67% |
| Drama | 27 | 19% | 7% | 44% | 27% | 85% |
| Photography | 27 | 19% | 6% | 33% | 19% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 23 | 16% | 23% | 30% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 23 | 16% | 23% | 39% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 23 | 16% | 23% | 61% | 45% | 100% |
| Textiles | 22 | 16% | 2% | 0% | 27% | 32% |
| Music | 15 | 11% | 5% | 13% | 33% | 100% |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 41 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 27 | 96% | — |
| Health Studies | 27 | 96% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 26 | 93% | — |
| Tourism | 20 | 71% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Bedlington Academy | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 62 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 28 | 1,089 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 35.42 | 34.22 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 24% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 12 | 43% | 23% |
| Biology | 9 | 32% | 20% |
| Mathematics | 9 | 32% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 7 | 25% | 17% |
| Law | 7 | 25% | 4% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Economics | — | — | 13% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Film Studies | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Northumberland
Bede Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 2,030 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.9
Berwick Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 601 pupils
73% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.3
Coquet Community School
Community school · sixth form · 567 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.9
Cramlington Learning Village
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,989 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.7
Haydon Bridge High School
Foundation school · sixth form · 392 pupils
70% stayed in education · Attainment 8 35.1
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.