Caldew School
Academy converter · sixth form · 990 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.3
Community school
Beacon Hill Community School
- Pupils on roll
- 135of 350 places
- Free school meals
- 43.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 30
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 24 June 2025Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Beacon Hill Community School has no sixth form. Of the 23 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 57% to a further education college and 13% started an apprenticeship.
17% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 13% of leavers started one, roughly three times the England figure of 3%.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 28.8 against 46.1 across England and 42.3 in Cumberland, with 13% 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 Cumberland and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Beacon Hill Community School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 23 | 2,780 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 83% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 61% | 74% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 4% | 37% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 57% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 13% | 12% | 3% |
| Employment | 9% | 5% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 17% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 0% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Beacon Hill Community School | Cumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 28.8 | 42.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 13% | 37% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 30% | 58% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 37% | 32% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.52 | 3.76 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 37% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 31.7 | 31.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 27.1 | 45.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 3% | 5% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined Science | 28 | 93% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 32% |
| Mathematics | 28 | 93% | 88% | 0% | 22% | 46% |
| English Language | 28 | 93% | 89% | 0% | 20% | 39% |
| English Literature | 26 | 87% | 86% | 0% | 21% | 38% |
| Fine Art | 14 | 47% | 9% | 0% | 28% | 14% |
| Geography | 13 | 43% | 41% | 0% | 25% | 46% |
| History | 12 | 40% | 41% | 0% | 26% | 8% |
| Spanish | 12 | 40% | 19% | 0% | 27% | 33% |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 13 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 13 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Cumberland
Cockermouth School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,254 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
Energy Coast UTC
University technical college · sixth form · 383 pupils
61% stayed in education · Attainment 8 24.2
Keswick School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,208 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.1
Millom School
Community school · sixth form · 476 pupils
48% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.9
Netherhall School
Community school · sixth form · 894 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.7
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.