Astor Secondary School
Academy converter · sixth form · 732 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 27.9
Academy converter
Towers School and Sixth Form Centre
- Pupils on roll
- 1,538of 1,625 places
- Free school meals
- 30.9%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 266
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 15 October 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Towers School and Sixth Form Centre (URN 118822, until 1 April 2011).
What the data says
Of the 205 pupils who finished Year 11 at Towers School and Sixth Form Centre in 2023, 51% stayed on in Towers School and Sixth Form Centre’s own sixth form (Kent average 56%), 32% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 83 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 34% went to university (Kent 39%, England 37%), and 0% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 12% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
French is unusually popular at GCSE: 67% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 40.6 against 46.1 across England and 46.7 in Kent, with 29% 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 Kent and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 205 | 17,954 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 92% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 85% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 51% | 56% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | — | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 32% | 28% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 4% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 5% | 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 | This school | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 83 | 14,947 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 34% | 39% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 0% | 20% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 12% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 33% | 30% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 17% | 15% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 40.6 | 46.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 29% | 47% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 54% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 66% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.74 | 4.18 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 27% | 25% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 32.7 | 32.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 43.6 | 51.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 16% | 12% | 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 | 264 | 99% | 89% | 11% | 20% | 64% |
| Mathematics | 264 | 99% | 88% | 7% | 22% | 61% |
| English Literature | 257 | 97% | 86% | 14% | 21% | 68% |
| Combined Science | 234 | 88% | 65% | 5% | 9% | 48% |
| French | 178 | 67% | 18% | 6% | 29% | 44% |
| History | 131 | 49% | 41% | 12% | 26% | 50% |
| Geography | 121 | 45% | 41% | 11% | 25% | 51% |
| Business Studies | 112 | 42% | 18% | 4% | 20% | 42% |
| Sociology | 42 | 16% | 4% | 21% | 21% | 64% |
| Chemistry | 30 | 11% | 23% | 17% | 47% | 87% |
| Biology | 30 | 11% | 23% | 17% | 45% | 90% |
| Physics | 30 | 11% | 23% | 7% | 46% | 87% |
| Drama | 25 | 9% | 7% | 16% | 27% | 68% |
| Computer Science | 19 | 7% | 13% | 5% | 30% | 26% |
| Dance | 17 | 6% | 1% | 41% | 27% | 76% |
| Religious Studies | 13 | 5% | 31% | 15% | 32% | 46% |
| Turkish | 3 | 1% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Chinese | 3 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Bengali | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 35% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| German | 1 | 0% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 92 | 100% | — |
| Art and Design | 50 | 100% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 50 | 100% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 49 | 100% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 33 | 89% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 14 | 38% | — |
| Personal Health | 1 | 3% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 228 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 37 | 7,794 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 29.02 | 34.87 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 14% | 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 | 13 | 35% | 23% |
| English Literature | 12 | 32% | 11% |
| Sociology | 10 | 27% | 13% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Chinese | — | — | 0% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Mathematics | — | — | 31% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
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* | 27 | 73% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 23 | 62% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 18 | 49% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 11 | 30% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 8 | 22% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 19% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Art and Design | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Kent
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Barton Court Grammar School
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Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
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Borden Grammar School
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Brockhill Park Performing Arts College
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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.