Academy 360
Academy sponsor led · 854 pupils
66% stayed in education · Attainment 8 31.7
Academy converter
St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington
- Pupils on roll
- 1,527of 1,550 places
- Free school meals
- 18.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 250
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 11 October 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: St Robert of Newminster Roman Catholic School (URN 108870, until 1 June 2019).
What the data says
Of the 220 pupils who finished Year 11 at St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington in 2023, 54% stayed on in St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington’s own sixth form (Sunderland average 21%), 29% went to a further education college and 7% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 206 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 54% went to university (Sunderland 29%, England 37%), and 29% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
French is unusually popular at GCSE: 59% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 48.9 against 46.1 across England and 43.3 in Sunderland, with 49% 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 Sunderland and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Sunderland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 220 | 3,005 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 86% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 83% | 76% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 54% | 21% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 29% | 53% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 7% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 11% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 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 | This school | Sunderland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 206 | 2,646 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 74% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 54% | 29% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 29% | 10% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 12% | 7% |
| Employment | 20% | 26% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 21% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Sunderland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 48.9 | 43.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 49% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 73% | 61% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 64% | 41% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.35 | 3.81 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 16% | 36% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 40.3 | 33.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 50.5 | 49.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 4% | 6% | 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 | 250 | 100% | 86% | 16% | 21% | 80% |
| English Language | 250 | 100% | 89% | 20% | 20% | 75% |
| Mathematics | 250 | 100% | 88% | 22% | 22% | 78% |
| Religious Studies | 239 | 96% | 31% | 33% | 32% | 76% |
| Combined Science | 175 | 70% | 65% | 2% | 9% | 46% |
| History | 165 | 66% | 41% | 26% | 26% | 68% |
| French | 148 | 59% | 18% | 9% | 29% | 63% |
| Geography | 100 | 40% | 41% | 27% | 25% | 78% |
| Business Studies | 89 | 36% | 18% | 12% | 20% | 61% |
| Physics | 70 | 28% | 23% | 24% | 46% | 93% |
| Biology | 70 | 28% | 23% | 26% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 70 | 28% | 23% | 26% | 47% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 66 | 26% | 11% | 5% | 24% | 65% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 39 | 16% | 8% | 13% | 21% | 82% |
| Design and Technology | 39 | 16% | 11% | 5% | 23% | 41% |
| Fine Art | 24 | 10% | 9% | 29% | 28% | 96% |
| Computer Science | 22 | 9% | 13% | 23% | 30% | 68% |
| Spanish | 15 | 6% | 19% | 33% | 27% | 93% |
| Textiles | 10 | 4% | 2% | 0% | 27% | 50% |
| Music | 10 | 4% | 5% | 20% | 33% | 80% |
| Citizenship Studies | 2 | 1% | 3% | — | 19% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Studies | 37 | 24% | — |
| Health Studies | 36 | 24% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 22 | 14% | — |
| Tourism | 16 | 11% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 12 | 8% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 5 | 3% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Sunderland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 395 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 152 | 755 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.31 | 28.27 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 18% | 10% | 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 | 40 | 26% | 31% |
| Psychology | 33 | 22% | 23% |
| Business Studies | 29 | 19% | 13% |
| Biology | 25 | 16% | 20% |
| History | 24 | 16% | 13% |
| Law | 24 | 16% | 4% |
| Chemistry | 23 | 15% | 17% |
| Media Studies | 21 | 14% | 4% |
| Economics | 20 | 13% | 13% |
| Geography | 20 | 13% | 10% |
| Sociology | 19 | 13% | 13% |
| English Literature | 16 | 11% | 11% |
| Physics | 15 | 10% | 12% |
| Religious Studies | 14 | 9% | 4% |
| English Language | 13 | 9% | 4% |
| Politics | 13 | 9% | 6% |
| Physical Education | 11 | 7% | 3% |
| Computer Science | 10 | 7% | 5% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 4% | 3% |
| Photography | 6 | 4% | 3% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 11 | 7% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 11 | 7% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 8 | 5% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | 7 | 5% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 6 | 4% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Sunderland
Biddick Academy
Academy converter · 1,002 pupils
67% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.5
Castle View Enterprise Academy
Academy sponsor led · 993 pupils
67% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.9
Christ's College
Free schools · 796 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.2
Hetton Academy
Academy converter · 681 pupils
70% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.8
Kepier
Academy converter · 1,131 pupils
77% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.6
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.