Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,655 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.0
Academy sponsor led
The Chalk Hills Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,644of 1,450 places
- Free school meals
- 36.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 294
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 1 November 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Halyard High School (URN 109684).
What the data says
Of the 241 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Chalk Hills Academy in 2023, 16% stayed on in The Chalk Hills Academy’s own sixth form (Luton average 13%), 22% went to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 74 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 53% went to university (Luton 52%, England 37%), and 7% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Sixth form colleges are the main next step: 47% of leavers went to one, roughly three times the England rate of 13%.
Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 97% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.
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 Luton and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Chalk Hills Academy | Luton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 241 | 3,003 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 85% | 89% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 16% | 13% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 47% | 47% | 13% |
| — further education college | 22% | 27% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 6% | 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 | The Chalk Hills Academy | Luton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 74 | 1,761 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 85% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 53% | 52% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 7% | 11% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 1% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 27% | 19% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 14% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Chalk Hills Academy | Luton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.7 | 45.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 45% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 67% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 40% | 49% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.04 | 4.05 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 32% | 32% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 39.4 | 38.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 48.7 | 48.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 31% | 49% | 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 | 291 | 99% | 88% | 24% | 22% | 72% |
| English Literature | 290 | 99% | 86% | 17% | 21% | 70% |
| English Language | 290 | 99% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 69% |
| Religious Studies | 285 | 97% | 31% | 20% | 32% | 64% |
| Combined Science | 260 | 88% | 65% | 14% | 9% | 56% |
| Geography | 142 | 48% | 41% | 4% | 25% | 46% |
| History | 98 | 33% | 41% | 24% | 26% | 71% |
| Spanish | 95 | 32% | 19% | 18% | 27% | 62% |
| Business Studies | 87 | 30% | 18% | 7% | 20% | 53% |
| Computer Science | 86 | 29% | 13% | 9% | 30% | 50% |
| Psychology | 59 | 20% | 3% | 14% | 22% | 58% |
| Applied Engineering | 40 | 14% | 0% | 8% | 18% | 50% |
| French | 34 | 12% | 18% | 26% | 29% | 71% |
| Biology | 31 | 11% | 23% | 71% | 45% | 94% |
| Physics | 29 | 10% | 23% | 83% | 46% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 29 | 10% | 23% | 62% | 47% | 100% |
| Media Studies | 28 | 10% | 4% | 0% | 20% | 25% |
| Fine Art | 28 | 10% | 9% | 7% | 28% | 75% |
| Sociology | 22 | 7% | 4% | 5% | 21% | 36% |
| Design and Technology | 19 | 6% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 42% |
| Music | 9 | 3% | 5% | 44% | 33% | 67% |
| Latin | 7 | 2% | 1% | 71% | 74% | 86% |
| Drama | 6 | 2% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 50% |
| Polish | 4 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Italian | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Portuguese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Urdu | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 28 | 85% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 25 | 76% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 15 | 45% | — |
| Dance: General | 13 | 39% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | The Chalk Hills Academy | Luton | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 122 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 33 | 1,142 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 29.78 | 30.41 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 8% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 17 | 52% | 17% |
| Biology | 16 | 48% | 20% |
| Mathematics | 13 | 39% | 31% |
| Psychology | 10 | 30% | 23% |
| Law | 7 | 21% | 4% |
| Business Studies | 6 | 18% | 13% |
| Physics | 6 | 18% | 12% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Media Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
| Religious Studies | — | — | 4% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 14 | 42% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 6 | 18% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Luton
Challney High School for Boys
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94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.7
Challney High School for Girls
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91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.1
Chiltern Academy
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91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.5
Denbigh High School
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Icknield High School
Academy converter · 1,452 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.4
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.