Buxton School
Foundation school · 1,065 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.2
Voluntary aided school
Holy Family Catholic School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,175of 1,240 places
- Free school meals
- 34.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 200
- Ofsted
- Good, 21 March 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 195 pupils who finished Year 11 at Holy Family Catholic School in 2023, 53% stayed on in Holy Family Catholic School’s own sixth form (Waltham Forest average 35%), 28% went to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.
Among the 140 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 73% went to university (Waltham Forest 42%, England 37%), and 17% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Sociology is unusually popular at GCSE: 25% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
A level grades average C, below the England average of B-; 6% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Business Studies, Mathematics and Psychology.
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 Waltham Forest and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Holy Family Catholic School | Waltham Forest | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 195 | 2,805 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 93% | 92% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 53% | 35% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 11% | 28% | 13% |
| — further education college | 28% | 26% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 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 | Holy Family Catholic School | Waltham Forest | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 140 | 3,460 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 73% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 73% | 42% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 17% | 10% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 3% | 7% |
| Employment | 14% | 20% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 19% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Holy Family Catholic School | Waltham Forest | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.5 | 45.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 43% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 64% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 49% | 43% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.12 | 4.04 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 35% | 33% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 40.8 | 38.4 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 48.0 | 48.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 52% | 39% | 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 | 197 | 99% | 89% | 15% | 20% | 72% |
| Mathematics | 196 | 98% | 88% | 18% | 22% | 69% |
| Religious Studies | 193 | 97% | 31% | 17% | 32% | 69% |
| English Literature | 189 | 95% | 86% | 21% | 21% | 80% |
| Combined Science | 147 | 74% | 65% | 5% | 9% | 61% |
| Geography | 102 | 51% | 41% | 12% | 25% | 75% |
| History | 75 | 38% | 41% | 25% | 26% | 65% |
| French | 56 | 28% | 18% | 9% | 29% | 52% |
| Computer Science | 53 | 27% | 13% | 11% | 30% | 58% |
| Design and Technology | 52 | 26% | 11% | 10% | 23% | 60% |
| Sociology | 50 | 25% | 4% | 12% | 21% | 66% |
| Spanish | 46 | 23% | 19% | 33% | 27% | 76% |
| Physics | 33 | 17% | 23% | 48% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 33 | 17% | 23% | 61% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 33 | 17% | 23% | 48% | 45% | 100% |
| Art and Design | 22 | 11% | 7% | 9% | 24% | 23% |
| Media Studies | 22 | 11% | 4% | 14% | 20% | 64% |
| Physical Education | 20 | 10% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 40% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 17 | 9% | 8% | 6% | 21% | 29% |
| Graphic Communication | 16 | 8% | 1% | 13% | 23% | 50% |
| Drama | 11 | 6% | 7% | 9% | 27% | 100% |
| Polish | 10 | 5% | 1% | 90% | 84% | 100% |
| Russian | 6 | 3% | 0% | 83% | 87% | 83% |
| Portuguese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 11 | 17% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Holy Family Catholic School | Waltham Forest | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 265 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 66 | 1,313 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 29.11 | 31.81 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 6% | 9% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | 28 | 42% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 26 | 39% | 31% |
| Psychology | 24 | 36% | 23% |
| Product Design | 17 | 26% | 2% |
| Computer Science | 16 | 24% | 5% |
| Film Studies | 14 | 21% | 2% |
| Economics | 12 | 18% | 13% |
| Politics | 8 | 12% | 6% |
| Physics | 7 | 11% | 12% |
| Geography | 7 | 11% | 10% |
| Sociology | 6 | 9% | 13% |
| Photography | 6 | 9% | 3% |
| Russian | — | — | 0% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Italian | — | — | 0% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 20 | 30% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 15 | 23% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 14% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 9 | 14% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 12% | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Waltham Forest
Chingford Foundation School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,363 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.1
Connaught School for Girls
Academy converter · 550 pupils
96% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.6
Eden Girls' School, Waltham Forest
Free schools · 617 pupils
98% stayed in education · Attainment 8 63.5
Frederick Bremer School
Community school · 888 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.7
George Mitchell School
Academy converter · 973 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.0
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.