Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School
Voluntary aided school · sixth form · 1,082 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.0
Academy converter
Reading School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,138of 1,094 places
- Free school meals
- 4.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 149
- Ofsted
- Outstanding, 21 November 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Reading School (URN 110097, until 1 February 2011).
What the data says
Of the 149 pupils who finished Year 11 at Reading School in 2023, 93% stayed on in Reading School’s own sixth form (Reading average 51%), 1% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 171 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 84% went to university (Reading 56%, England 37%), and 82% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 83.0 against 46.1 across England and 50.2 in Reading, with 100% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%) — as a selective grammar school, Reading School admits pupils by test at 11, which drives these figures.
A level grades average A, well above the England average of B-; 63% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Mathematics, Chemistry and Economics.
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 Reading and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Reading School | Reading | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 149 | 1,475 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 99% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 99% | 89% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 93% | 51% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 2% | 9% | 13% |
| — further education college | 1% | 26% | 37% |
| — other education | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 2% | 3% |
| Employment | 0% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 0% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 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 | Reading School | Reading | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 171 | 831 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 86% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 84% | 56% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 82% | 40% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 4% | 7% |
| Employment | 2% | 22% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 8% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Reading School | Reading | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 83.0 | 50.2 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 100% | 51% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 100% | 66% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 97% | 53% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 8.25 | 4.64 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 5% | 23% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 73.6 | 32.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 83.5 | 55.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 20% | 34% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | 149 | 100% | 23% | 97% | 46% | 100% |
| Biology | 149 | 100% | 23% | 91% | 45% | 100% |
| Chemistry | 149 | 100% | 23% | 96% | 47% | 100% |
| Mathematics | 149 | 100% | 88% | 99% | 22% | 100% |
| English Language | 149 | 100% | 89% | 77% | 20% | 100% |
| English Literature | 149 | 100% | 86% | 79% | 21% | 100% |
| Economics | 87 | 58% | 1% | 93% | 34% | 100% |
| History | 85 | 57% | 41% | 91% | 26% | 100% |
| Computer Science | 62 | 42% | 13% | 98% | 30% | 100% |
| Geography | 61 | 41% | 41% | 90% | 25% | 100% |
| Latin | 45 | 30% | 1% | 87% | 74% | 100% |
| Spanish | 44 | 30% | 19% | 93% | 27% | 100% |
| German | 35 | 23% | 5% | 97% | 33% | 100% |
| Drama | 35 | 23% | 7% | 46% | 27% | 97% |
| French | 30 | 20% | 18% | 97% | 29% | 100% |
| Physical Education | 23 | 15% | 11% | 87% | 24% | 100% |
| Ancient History | 23 | 15% | 0% | 83% | 37% | 100% |
| Electronics | 17 | 11% | 0% | 100% | 70% | 100% |
| Chinese | 16 | 11% | 1% | 100% | 75% | 100% |
| Music | 14 | 9% | 5% | 86% | 33% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 9 | 6% | 9% | 22% | 28% | 100% |
| Photography | 7 | 5% | 6% | 29% | 19% | 100% |
| Russian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Punjabi | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
| Japanese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Mathematics FSMQ | 83 | 43% | — |
| Religious Studies | 45 | 23% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Reading School | Reading | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 374 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 194 | 754 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | A | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 48.96 | 37.73 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | A | B | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 63% | 36% | 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 | 166 | 86% | 31% |
| Chemistry | 80 | 41% | 17% |
| Economics | 69 | 36% | 13% |
| Physics | 66 | 34% | 12% |
| Further Mathematics | 64 | 33% | 5% |
| Biology | 53 | 27% | 20% |
| Computer Science | 34 | 18% | 5% |
| History | 23 | 12% | 13% |
| Geography | 19 | 10% | 10% |
| German | 11 | 6% | 0% |
| English Literature | 11 | 6% | 11% |
| Drama | 10 | 5% | 2% |
| Philosophy | 8 | 4% | 1% |
| Music | 6 | 3% | 0% |
| Physical Education | 6 | 3% | 3% |
| Classical Civilisation | 6 | 3% | 1% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Latin | — | — | 0% |
| Spanish | — | — | 2% |
| Turkish | — | — | 0% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 6 | 3% | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Physics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| History | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Reading
Hartland High School
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Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre
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95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.4
Kendrick School
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99% stayed in education · Attainment 8 84.0
King's Academy Prospect
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82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 36.8
Maiden Erlegh School in Reading
Free schools · 889 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.6
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.