Ashington Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 964 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.1
Academy sponsor led
NCEA Duke's Secondary School
- Pupils on roll
- 980of 1,150 places
- Free school meals
- 50.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 188
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement, 6 June 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registrations: Ashington Alexandra First School (URN 122175, until 1 September 2009); Lynemouth First School (URN 122200, until 1 September 2009); Windsor First School (URN 122208, until 1 September 2009); Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Moorside First School (URN 122212, until 1 September 2009); Coulson Park First School (URN 122241, until 1 September 2009); Welbeck Community First School (URN 122253, until 1 September 2009); Newbiggin Middle School (URN 122342, until 1 September 2009); Hirst High School (URN 122359, until 1 September 2009); Seaton Hirst Church of England Middle School (URN 134474, until 1 September 2009); Hawthorn Church of England Controlled First School (URN 134729, until 1 September 2009).
What the data says
Of the 167 pupils who finished Year 11 at NCEA Duke's Secondary School in 2023, 27% stayed on in NCEA Duke's Secondary School’s own sixth form (Northumberland average 43%), 45% went to a further education college and 11% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 49 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 27% went to university (Northumberland 48%, England 37%), and 3% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 16% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 11% 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 32.0 against 46.1 across England and 44.0 in Northumberland, with 21% 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 Northumberland and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | NCEA Duke's Secondary School | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 167 | 3,151 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 72% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 27% | 43% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| — further education college | 45% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 11% | 6% | 3% |
| Employment | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 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 | NCEA Duke's Secondary School | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 49 | 1,385 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 80% | 87% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 27% | 48% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 3% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 10% | 3% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 16% | 11% | 7% |
| Employment | 27% | 25% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 16% | 10% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | NCEA Duke's Secondary School | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 32.0 | 44.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 21% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 42% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 11% | 32% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.54 | 3.82 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 48% | 27% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 26.1 | 30.9 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 37.6 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 5% | 3% | 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 | 186 | 99% | 88% | 6% | 22% | 55% |
| English Language | 186 | 99% | 89% | 5% | 20% | 42% |
| English Literature | 178 | 95% | 86% | 4% | 21% | 38% |
| Chemistry | 170 | 90% | 23% | 3% | 47% | 32% |
| Biology | 170 | 90% | 23% | 1% | 45% | 40% |
| Physics | 167 | 89% | 23% | 2% | 46% | 45% |
| Art and Design | 72 | 38% | 7% | 3% | 24% | 58% |
| Geography | 53 | 28% | 41% | 11% | 25% | 36% |
| History | 52 | 28% | 41% | 13% | 26% | 44% |
| Religious Studies | 43 | 23% | 31% | 12% | 32% | 74% |
| French | 38 | 20% | 18% | 5% | 29% | 34% |
| Design and Technology | 18 | 10% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 17% |
| Physical Education | 17 | 9% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 59% |
| Applied Engineering | 16 | 9% | 0% | 0% | 18% | 31% |
| Music | 9 | 5% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 44% |
| Photography | 3 | 2% | 6% | — | 19% | — |
| Combined Science | 2 | 1% | 65% | — | 9% | — |
| Statistics | 1 | 1% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 42 | 100% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 34 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 31 | 100% | — |
| Small Business Management | 21 | 100% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 20 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 15 | 79% | — |
| Multimedia | 14 | 74% | — |
| Tourism | 12 | 63% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 9 | 47% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | NCEA Duke's Secondary School | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 84 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 19 | 1,089 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 26.32 | 34.22 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 0% | 17% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 12 | 63% | 23% |
| Sociology | 9 | 47% | 13% |
| Geography | 7 | 37% | 10% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 10 | 53% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 9 | 47% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | 6 | 32% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Tourism | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Fine Art | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Fine Art | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sociology | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Northumberland
Bede Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 2,030 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.9
Bedlington Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 822 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.4
Berwick Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 601 pupils
73% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.3
Coquet Community School
Community school · sixth form · 567 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.9
Cramlington Learning Village
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,989 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.7
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.