Benfield School
Academy converter · 819 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.5
Academy converter
Walker Riverside Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,101of 1,301 places
- Free school meals
- 70.4%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 219
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 24 September 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Walker Technology College (URN 108525, until 1 March 2018).
What the data says
Of the 216 pupils who finished Year 11 at Walker Riverside Academy in 2023, 15% stayed on in Walker Riverside Academy’s own sixth form (Newcastle upon Tyne average 39%), 54% went to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 16 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 13% went to university (Newcastle upon Tyne 29%, England 37%), and 0% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
15% 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 35.5 against 46.1 across England and 43.9 in Newcastle upon Tyne, with 22% 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 | Walker Riverside Academy | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 216 | 2,784 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 77% | 86% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 70% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 15% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| — further education college | 54% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 15% | 9% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 8% | 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 | Walker Riverside Academy | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 16 | 6,923 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 69% | 74% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 13% | 29% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 0% | 11% | 19% |
| Further education | 25% | 8% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 13% | 29% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 31% | 20% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Walker Riverside Academy | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 35.5 | 43.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 22% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 48% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 42% | 41% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.08 | 3.93 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 67% | 47% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 32.4 | 33.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 41.8 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 217 | 99% | 89% | 6% | 20% | 48% |
| Mathematics | 211 | 96% | 88% | 6% | 22% | 55% |
| English Literature | 209 | 95% | 86% | 6% | 21% | 54% |
| Combined Science | 188 | 86% | 65% | 1% | 9% | 38% |
| History | 100 | 46% | 41% | 16% | 26% | 58% |
| Geography | 70 | 32% | 41% | 4% | 25% | 40% |
| Spanish | 65 | 30% | 19% | 14% | 27% | 34% |
| Art and Design | 38 | 17% | 7% | 0% | 24% | 53% |
| Business Studies | 37 | 17% | 18% | 3% | 20% | 41% |
| Photography | 36 | 16% | 6% | 33% | 19% | 92% |
| French | 30 | 14% | 18% | 17% | 29% | 60% |
| Biology | 22 | 10% | 23% | 27% | 45% | 91% |
| Chemistry | 21 | 10% | 23% | 33% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 21 | 10% | 23% | 29% | 46% | 95% |
| Arabic | 8 | 4% | 1% | 63% | 47% | 100% |
| Portuguese | 7 | 3% | 0% | 71% | 50% | 86% |
| Italian | 4 | 2% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Statistics | 2 | 1% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 196 | — | — |
| Engineering Studies | 61 | — | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 49 | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | 36 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 28 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 19 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 16 | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | 1 | — | — |
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.