Denbigh School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,778 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.3
Voluntary aided school
St Paul's Catholic School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,890of 1,891 places
- Free school meals
- 25.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 306
- Ofsted
- Standards maintained, 14 May 2025Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 282 pupils who finished Year 11 at St Paul's Catholic School in 2023, 67% stayed on in St Paul's Catholic School’s own sixth form (Milton Keynes average 50%) and 25% went to a further education college.
Among the 198 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 67% went to university (Milton Keynes 37%, England 37%), and 16% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Design and Technology is unusually popular at GCSE: 65% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
A level grades average C, well below the England average of B-; 9% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Mathematics, Psychology and Biology.
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 Milton Keynes and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | St Paul's Catholic School | Milton Keynes | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 282 | 3,422 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 96% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 94% | 89% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 67% | 50% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 25% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | — | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 3% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 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 | St Paul's Catholic School | Milton Keynes | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 198 | 3,100 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 82% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 67% | 37% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 16% | 14% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 7% | 7% |
| Employment | 13% | 32% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | St Paul's Catholic School | Milton Keynes | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 44.9 | 44.2 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 38% | 44% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 61% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 87% | 40% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.07 | 3.94 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 26% | 27% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 37.3 | 33.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 47.5 | 48.4 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 55% | 25% | 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 | 305 | 100% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 65% |
| English Language | 305 | 100% | 89% | 19% | 20% | 71% |
| Religious Studies | 299 | 98% | 31% | 18% | 32% | 65% |
| English Literature | 298 | 97% | 86% | 19% | 21% | 73% |
| Combined Science | 244 | 80% | 65% | 9% | 9% | 47% |
| Design and Technology | 200 | 65% | 11% | 17% | 23% | 61% |
| History | 155 | 51% | 41% | 13% | 26% | 54% |
| Geography | 130 | 42% | 41% | 15% | 25% | 48% |
| French | 93 | 30% | 18% | 5% | 29% | 43% |
| Spanish | 88 | 29% | 19% | 6% | 27% | 28% |
| Fine Art | 87 | 28% | 9% | 10% | 28% | 62% |
| Business Studies | 62 | 20% | 18% | 3% | 20% | 48% |
| Physical Education | 62 | 20% | 11% | 8% | 24% | 56% |
| Biology | 59 | 19% | 23% | 24% | 45% | 90% |
| Physics | 59 | 19% | 23% | 24% | 46% | 85% |
| Chemistry | 59 | 19% | 23% | 19% | 47% | 80% |
| Sociology | 55 | 18% | 4% | 20% | 21% | 60% |
| German | 46 | 15% | 5% | 7% | 33% | 33% |
| Italian | 45 | 15% | 0% | 22% | 53% | 73% |
| Music | 44 | 14% | 5% | 2% | 33% | 20% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 38 | 12% | 8% | 29% | 21% | 82% |
| Drama | 33 | 11% | 7% | 15% | 27% | 52% |
| Polish | 21 | 7% | 1% | 100% | 84% | 100% |
| Computer Science | 20 | 7% | 13% | 30% | 30% | 70% |
| Chinese | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Statistics | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 66 | 44% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 40 | 27% | — |
| Health Studies | 39 | 26% | — |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 17 | 11% | — |
| Small Business Management | 17 | 11% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 11 | 7% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | St Paul's Catholic School | Milton Keynes | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 412 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 150 | 1,506 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 28.98 | 30.45 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 9% | 11% | 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 | 37 | 25% | 31% |
| Psychology | 34 | 23% | 23% |
| Biology | 28 | 19% | 20% |
| Business Studies | 28 | 19% | 13% |
| Chemistry | 25 | 17% | 17% |
| Sociology | 25 | 17% | 13% |
| Economics | 21 | 14% | 13% |
| Religious Studies | 21 | 14% | 4% |
| English Literature | 18 | 12% | 11% |
| Fine Art | 15 | 10% | 3% |
| Politics | 14 | 9% | 6% |
| Physics | 13 | 9% | 12% |
| History | 12 | 8% | 13% |
| Further Mathematics | 11 | 7% | 5% |
| Geography | 10 | 7% | 10% |
| Film Studies | 10 | 7% | 2% |
| English Language and Literature | 10 | 7% | 2% |
| D and T Engineering | 8 | 5% | 0% |
| Polish | 7 | 5% | 0% |
| Italian | 6 | 4% | 0% |
| Computer Science | 6 | 4% | 5% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| D and T Textiles Technology | — | — | 0% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| Portuguese | — | — | 0% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 35 | 23% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 30 | 20% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 18 | 12% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 14 | 9% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 12 | 8% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 9 | 6% | — |
| Computer Architecture / Systems | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 5% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 7 | 5% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 5% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 4% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Milton Keynes
E-Act Ousedale School
Academy converter · sixth form · 2,239 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.4
Kents Hill Park all-through school
Free schools · 1,056 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.2
Lift Sir Herbert Leon
Academy sponsor led · 589 pupils
63% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.7
Lord Grey Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,446 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.4
Oakgrove School
Academy converter · sixth form · 2,527 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.7
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.