Abbeyfield School
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,296 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.0
Academy sponsor led
Malcolm Arnold Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,278of 1,450 places
- Free school meals
- 25.4%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 241
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 8 November 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Unity College (URN 133733, until 1 September 2010).
What the data says
Of the 229 pupils who finished Year 11 at Malcolm Arnold Academy in 2023, 26% stayed on in Malcolm Arnold Academy’s own sixth form (West Northamptonshire average 42%), 56% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 65 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 57% went to university (West Northamptonshire 37%, England 37%), and 14% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 41.4 against 46.1 across England and 44.7 in West Northamptonshire, with 38% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
French is unusually popular at GCSE: 34% of the year group took it, against 18% 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 West Northamptonshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Malcolm Arnold Academy | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 229 | 4,707 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 83% | 87% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 26% | 42% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | — | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 56% | 42% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 2% | 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 | Malcolm Arnold Academy | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 65 | 4,702 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 57% | 37% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 14% | 14% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 26% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 11% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Malcolm Arnold Academy | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.4 | 44.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 38% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 58% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 37% | 41% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.70 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 20% | 21% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 29.2 | 32.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 44.5 | 47.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 35% | 21% | 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 | 241 | 100% | 88% | 21% | 22% | 66% |
| English Literature | 241 | 100% | 86% | 16% | 21% | 66% |
| English Language | 241 | 100% | 89% | 14% | 20% | 58% |
| Combined Science | 207 | 86% | 65% | 6% | 9% | 45% |
| History | 132 | 55% | 41% | 18% | 26% | 52% |
| Geography | 97 | 40% | 41% | 15% | 25% | 48% |
| French | 82 | 34% | 18% | 21% | 29% | 79% |
| Business Studies | 65 | 27% | 18% | 6% | 20% | 43% |
| Sociology | 43 | 18% | 4% | 12% | 21% | 60% |
| Media Studies | 35 | 15% | 4% | 20% | 20% | 66% |
| Biology | 34 | 14% | 23% | 9% | 45% | 76% |
| Chemistry | 32 | 13% | 23% | 13% | 47% | 84% |
| Physics | 31 | 13% | 23% | 32% | 46% | 77% |
| Fine Art | 27 | 11% | 9% | 30% | 28% | 81% |
| 3D Design | 25 | 10% | 2% | 0% | 16% | 4% |
| Computer Science | 24 | 10% | 13% | 13% | 30% | 54% |
| Photography | 24 | 10% | 6% | 25% | 19% | 88% |
| Physical Education | 24 | 10% | 11% | 4% | 24% | 67% |
| Textiles | 20 | 8% | 2% | 0% | 27% | 55% |
| Drama | 19 | 8% | 7% | 5% | 27% | 68% |
| Music | 14 | 6% | 5% | 57% | 33% | 100% |
| Polish | 10 | 4% | 1% | 80% | 84% | 90% |
| Russian | 4 | 2% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Religious Studies | 2 | 1% | 31% | — | 32% | — |
| Modern Greek | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 33% | — |
| Spanish | 1 | 0% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 48 | 100% | — |
| Sports Studies | 14 | 47% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 9 | 30% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 1 | 3% | — |
| Health Studies | 1 | 3% | — |
| Small Business Management | 1 | 3% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Malcolm Arnold Academy | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 70 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 30 | 1,852 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.08 | 34.15 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 9% | 15% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 12 | 40% | 31% |
| Physics | 9 | 30% | 12% |
| Chemistry | 7 | 23% | 17% |
| Computer Science | 7 | 23% | 5% |
| Sociology | 6 | 20% | 13% |
| Biology | 6 | 20% | 20% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Law | — | — | 4% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Media Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Music Technology | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Economics | — | — | 13% |
| Psychology | — | — | 23% |
| Business Studies | — | — | 13% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 8 | 27% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Where Malcolm Arnold Academy is
Other secondary schools in West Northamptonshire are shown for comparison; darker blue means more Year 11 leavers stayed in education. The last distance at which this school offered places is not yet on file — it comes from West Northamptonshire’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in West Northamptonshire
Campion School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,309 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.2
Caroline Chisholm School
Academy converter · sixth form · 2,049 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.4
Chenderit School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,104 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.0
DSLV E-ACT Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 997 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.2
Elizabeth Woodville School
Academy converter · 1,124 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.9
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.