Carmel College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,367 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.5
Academy sponsor led
St Aidan's Church of England Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 587of 700 places
- Free school meals
- 45.3%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 110
- Ofsted
- Some aspects not as strong, 11 June 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Eastbourne Comprehensive School (URN 114319).
What the data says
Of the 86 pupils who finished Year 11 at St Aidan's Church of England Academy in 2023, 19% moved to a sixth form college, 58% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Art and Design is unusually popular at GCSE: 32% of the year group took it, against 7% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 40.0 against 46.1 across England and 44.3 in Darlington, with 41% 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 Darlington and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Darlington | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 86 | 1,148 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 80% | 87% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 3% | 12% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 19% | 31% | 13% |
| — further education college | 58% | 42% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 7% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 1% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Darlington | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 40.0 | 44.3 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 41% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 59% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 29% | 36% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.45 | 3.83 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 37% | 28% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 29.6 | 31.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.2 | 49.4 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 16% | 9% | 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 | 109 | 99% | 89% | 9% | 20% | 52% |
| Mathematics | 109 | 99% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 70% |
| Combined Science | 106 | 96% | 65% | 11% | 9% | 58% |
| English Literature | 106 | 96% | 86% | 13% | 21% | 63% |
| Religious Studies | 105 | 95% | 31% | 10% | 32% | 50% |
| Geography | 55 | 50% | 41% | 7% | 25% | 33% |
| History | 50 | 45% | 41% | 18% | 26% | 48% |
| Art and Design | 35 | 32% | 7% | 11% | 24% | 89% |
| Physical Education | 34 | 31% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 32% |
| French | 29 | 26% | 18% | 7% | 29% | 52% |
| Statistics | 1 | 1% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
| Spanish | 1 | 1% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Italian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 69 | — | — |
| Engineering Studies | 43 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 21 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 20 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 20 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 18 | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | 17 | — | — |
| Dance: General | 4 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Darlington
Haughton Academy
Academy converter · 854 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.0
Hummersknott Academy
Academy converter · 1,215 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.8
Hurworth School
Academy converter · 621 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.1
Longfield Academy
Academy sponsor led · 660 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.8
Polam Hall School
Free schools · 842 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.6
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.