Beacon Hill Community School
Community school · 135 pupils
61% stayed in education · Attainment 8 28.8
Academy sponsor led
The Whitehaven Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 859of 1,465 places
- Free school meals
- 29.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 126
- Ofsted
- Good, 23 May 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Whitehaven Academy (URN 140406, until 30 November 2018).
What the data says
Of the 76 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Whitehaven Academy in 2023, 26% stayed on in The Whitehaven Academy’s own sixth form (Cumberland average 37%), 53% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 8 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 13% went to university (Cumberland 33%, England 37%), and 0% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 63% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Food Preparation and Nutrition is unusually popular at GCSE: 33% of the year group took it, against 8% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 39.7 against 46.1 across England and 42.3 in Cumberland, with 33% 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 | The Whitehaven Academy | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 76 | 2,780 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 87% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 79% | 74% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 26% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 53% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 12% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 5% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 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 | The Whitehaven Academy | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 8 | 1,544 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 100% | 83% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 13% | 33% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 0% | — | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 63% | 19% | 7% |
| Employment | 25% | 26% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 0% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Whitehaven Academy | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 39.7 | 42.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33% | 37% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 50% | 58% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 9% | 32% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.26 | 3.76 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 34% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 27.8 | 31.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.9 | 45.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 0% | 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 | 126 | 100% | 89% | 11% | 20% | 57% |
| Mathematics | 125 | 99% | 88% | 9% | 22% | 55% |
| English Literature | 119 | 94% | 86% | 8% | 21% | 61% |
| Combined Science | 101 | 80% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 42% |
| Geography | 64 | 51% | 41% | 13% | 25% | 50% |
| History | 47 | 37% | 41% | 21% | 26% | 55% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 42 | 33% | 8% | 19% | 21% | 74% |
| Physics | 23 | 18% | 23% | 22% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 23 | 18% | 23% | 17% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 23 | 18% | 23% | 22% | 45% | 100% |
| Business Studies | 20 | 16% | 18% | 20% | 20% | 60% |
| Computer Science | 14 | 11% | 13% | 14% | 30% | 57% |
| Statistics | 13 | 10% | 5% | 0% | 20% | 23% |
| German | 13 | 10% | 5% | 23% | 33% | 85% |
| Religious Studies | 12 | 10% | 31% | 67% | 32% | 75% |
| Art and Design | 10 | 8% | 7% | 10% | 24% | 90% |
| Design and Technology | 9 | 7% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 22% |
| Dance | 4 | 3% | 1% | — | 27% | — |
| French | 2 | 2% | 18% | — | 29% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 37 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 32 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 23 | — | — |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 23 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 1 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Cumberland
Caldew School
Academy converter · sixth form · 990 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.3
Cockermouth School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,254 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
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
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.