Belmont Community School
Community school · 887 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.4
Academy converter
Hermitage Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 881of 1,050 places
- Free school meals
- 30.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 153
- Ofsted
- Good, 12 March 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Hermitage Academy (URN 136683, until 1 September 2019).
What the data says
Of the 197 pupils who finished Year 11 at Hermitage Academy in 2023, 1% moved to a sixth form college, 41% to a further education college and 9% started an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 9% of leavers started one, roughly three times the England figure of 3%.
Among the 52 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 46% went to university (County Durham 32%, England 37%), and 21% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 12% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Physical Education is unusually popular at GCSE: 28% of the year group took it, against 11% 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 County Durham and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Hermitage Academy | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 197 | 5,399 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 89% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 76% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 35% | 30% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | 4% | 13% |
| — further education college | 41% | 46% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 9% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 5% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 8% | 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 | Hermitage Academy | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 52 | 4,586 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 76% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 46% | 32% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 21% | 18% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 12% | 11% | 7% |
| Employment | 31% | 28% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 20% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Hermitage Academy | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 49.1 | 44.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 43% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 70% | 61% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 65% | 33% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.39 | 3.75 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 30% | 32% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 43.1 | 35.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 51.7 | 48.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 3% | 4% | 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 | 153 | 100% | 89% | 21% | 20% | 75% |
| Mathematics | 153 | 100% | 88% | 17% | 22% | 73% |
| English Literature | 153 | 100% | 86% | 22% | 21% | 78% |
| Combined Science | 126 | 82% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 60% |
| History | 89 | 58% | 41% | 22% | 26% | 54% |
| Geography | 75 | 49% | 41% | 17% | 25% | 53% |
| Business Studies | 68 | 44% | 18% | 16% | 20% | 54% |
| Spanish | 67 | 44% | 19% | 4% | 27% | 48% |
| Physical Education | 43 | 28% | 11% | 5% | 24% | 35% |
| Design and Technology | 33 | 22% | 11% | 15% | 23% | 48% |
| French | 32 | 21% | 18% | 3% | 29% | 63% |
| Media Studies | 27 | 18% | 4% | 26% | 20% | 70% |
| Chemistry | 27 | 18% | 23% | 81% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 27 | 18% | 23% | 67% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 27 | 18% | 23% | 70% | 45% | 100% |
| Art and Design | 22 | 14% | 7% | 32% | 24% | 77% |
| Photography | 18 | 12% | 6% | 17% | 19% | 72% |
| Music | 14 | 9% | 5% | 7% | 33% | 86% |
| Religious Studies | 13 | 8% | 31% | 62% | 32% | 85% |
| Drama | 11 | 7% | 7% | 45% | 27% | 100% |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 42 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 37 | 88% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 17 | 40% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Hermitage Academy | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 63 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 42 | 1,658 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.08 | 35.70 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 11% | 19% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 12 | 29% | 4% |
| Law | 12 | 29% | 4% |
| Sociology | 11 | 26% | 13% |
| History | 10 | 24% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 9 | 21% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 9 | 21% | 31% |
| Psychology | 6 | 14% | 23% |
| English Literature | 6 | 14% | 11% |
| Photography | 6 | 14% | 3% |
| Product Design | 6 | 14% | 2% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Media Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 14% | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in County Durham
Bishop Barrington Academy
Academy converter · 599 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.4
Consett Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,493 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.2
Dene Academy
Academy converter · 638 pupils
78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.4
Durham Academy
Academy converter · 405 pupils
67% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.4
Durham Johnston Comprehensive School
Community school · sixth form · 1,667 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 55.2
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.