Sydenham and Forest Hill Sixth Form
About half of students go on to university — well above the England rate.
of 16–18 leavers started university · Lewisham 60% · England 37% · DfE destination measures, students who left in 2023
- Ofsted
- —
Ofsted: Not covered by Ofsted school inspections.
Where do sixth-formers go at 18?
DfE 16–18 destination measures · 247 students who left in 2023
57% went to university (England 37%). 3% started an apprenticeship (England 7%). 15% went into work and 11% had no steady place a year on (England 28% and 16%).
Most selective universities — the third of UK universities whose entrants hold the highest grades; the share is of students who completed level 3 qualifications.
Full breakdown7
| Measure | This school | Lewisham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 247 | 1,680 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 79% | 83% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 57% | 60% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 18% | 13% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 3% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 7% |
| Employment | 15% | 16% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 11% | 11% | 16% |
What do pupils study?
Mapped — the share of the 1,259 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.
DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today
At A level it is Geography: 20% of students (England 10%).
Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.
A level subjects25
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 46 | 25% | 31% |
| Psychology | 43 | 23% | 23% |
| English Literature | 41 | 22% | 11% |
| History | 40 | 21% | 13% |
| Geography | 38 | 20% | 10% |
| Sociology | 36 | 19% | 13% |
| Economics | 31 | 17% | 13% |
| Biology | 29 | 16% | 20% |
| Media Studies | 24 | 13% | 4% |
| Physics | 18 | 10% | 12% |
| Politics | 18 | 10% | 6% |
| Chemistry | 17 | 9% | 17% |
| Fine Art | 16 | 9% | 3% |
| Business Studies | 12 | 6% | 13% |
| Photography | 11 | 6% | 3% |
| Religious Studies | 11 | 6% | 4% |
| Spanish | 7 | 4% | 2% |
| Art and Design (Critical Studies) | 7 | 4% | 0% |
| Drama | 7 | 4% | 2% |
| Further Mathematics | 6 | 3% | 5% |
| Arabic | — | — | 0% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Turkish | — | — | 0% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses21
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 36 | 19% | — |
| Psychology | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 28 | 15% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 23 | 12% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 19 | 10% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 17 | 9% | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 9 | 5% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 9 | 5% | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 4% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 6 | 3% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 6 | 3% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
A level results8
| Measure | This school | Lewisham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 543 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 187 | 851 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 37.25 | 33.62 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | B- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 15% | 12% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
Fields of knowledge, all stages11
Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:
Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.
Which jobs use what’s taught here?
A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.
Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.
Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works
More apprenticeships9
How do you get a place?
Admission is by application to the provider, usually against GCSE grades for each course; there is no distance rule.
- Dec–FebYear 11: apply directly; most close applications in these months
- AugGCSE results day: places are confirmed against the entry grades
Compare with nearby schools
More Lewisham schools3
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.