Benfield School
Academy converter · 819 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.5
Academy sponsor led
Walbottle Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,722of 1,885 places
- Free school meals
- 49.6%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 319
- Ofsted
- Good, 25 January 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Walbottle Campus (URN 108524, until 31 August 2020).
What the data says
Of the 298 pupils who finished Year 11 at Walbottle Academy in 2023, 26% stayed on in Walbottle Academy’s own sixth form (Newcastle upon Tyne average 39%), 47% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 81 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 53% went to university (Newcastle upon Tyne 29%, England 37%), and 11% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
12% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 46.6 against 46.1 across England and 43.9 in Newcastle upon Tyne, with 58% 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 | Walbottle Academy | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 298 | 2,784 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 80% | 86% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 74% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 26% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| — further education college | 47% | 39% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 12% | 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 | Walbottle Academy | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 81 | 6,923 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 84% | 74% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 53% | 29% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 11% | 11% | 19% |
| Further education | 5% | 8% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 19% | 29% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 11% | 20% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Walbottle Academy | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 46.6 | 43.9 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 58% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 72% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 41% | 41% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.30 | 3.93 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 47% | 47% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 38.2 | 33.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 54.1 | 53.2 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 16% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 318 | 100% | 88% | 20% | 22% | 75% |
| English Language | 317 | 99% | 89% | 25% | 20% | 78% |
| English Literature | 317 | 99% | 86% | 21% | 21% | 80% |
| Combined Science | 266 | 83% | 65% | 16% | 9% | 70% |
| History | 126 | 39% | 41% | 31% | 26% | 79% |
| Geography | 115 | 36% | 41% | 25% | 25% | 70% |
| French | 83 | 26% | 18% | 28% | 29% | 92% |
| Business Studies | 59 | 18% | 18% | 19% | 20% | 66% |
| Sociology | 54 | 17% | 4% | 19% | 21% | 72% |
| Spanish | 50 | 16% | 19% | 10% | 27% | 72% |
| Photography | 45 | 14% | 6% | 2% | 19% | 60% |
| Physics | 38 | 12% | 23% | 61% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 38 | 12% | 23% | 68% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 38 | 12% | 23% | 68% | 45% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 35 | 11% | 9% | 0% | 28% | 71% |
| Religious Studies | 9 | 3% | 31% | 33% | 32% | 78% |
| Textiles | 6 | 2% | 2% | 0% | 27% | 67% |
| Arabic | 5 | 2% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Italian | 5 | 2% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Persian | 4 | 1% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Portuguese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Chinese | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Turkish | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Punjabi | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 56 | 81% | — |
| Sports Studies | 48 | 70% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 38 | 55% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 38 | 55% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 33 | 48% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 18 | 26% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 14 | 20% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 10 | 14% | — |
| Personal Health | 1 | 1% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Walbottle Academy | Newcastle upon Tyne | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 138 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 69 | 1,502 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.51 | 33.48 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 7% | 12% | 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 | 20 | 29% | 23% |
| Business Studies | 18 | 26% | 13% |
| History | 18 | 26% | 13% |
| English Literature | 15 | 22% | 11% |
| Sociology | 15 | 22% | 13% |
| Law | 14 | 20% | 4% |
| Mathematics | 13 | 19% | 31% |
| Biology | 12 | 17% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 9 | 13% | 17% |
| English Language | 7 | 10% | 4% |
| Geography | 7 | 10% | 10% |
| Physical Education | 6 | 9% | 3% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 26 | 38% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 13 | 19% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 14% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 10 | 14% | — |
| Art and Design | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
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.