Abbeyfield School
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,296 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.0
Academy converter
Magdalen College School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,293of 1,500 places
- Free school meals
- 10.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 219
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 23 April 2025Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 219 pupils who finished Year 11 at Magdalen College School in 2023, 45% stayed on in Magdalen College School’s own sixth form (West Northamptonshire average 42%), 39% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 123 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 52% went to university (West Northamptonshire 37%, England 37%), and 26% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Sociology is unusually popular at GCSE: 26% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 44.2 against 46.1 across England and 44.7 in West Northamptonshire, with 32% 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 West Northamptonshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Magdalen College School | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 219 | 4,707 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 87% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 45% | 42% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 39% | 42% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 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 | Magdalen College School | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 123 | 4,702 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 52% | 37% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 26% | 14% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 37% | 33% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Magdalen College School | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 44.2 | 44.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 32% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 33% | 41% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.83 | 3.97 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 13% | 21% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 32.8 | 32.6 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.9 | 47.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 3% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 218 | 100% | 89% | 11% | 20% | 69% |
| Mathematics | 218 | 100% | 88% | 16% | 22% | 72% |
| English Literature | 218 | 100% | 86% | 7% | 21% | 62% |
| Religious Studies | 209 | 95% | 31% | 9% | 32% | 61% |
| Combined Science | 162 | 74% | 65% | 6% | 9% | 54% |
| Geography | 128 | 58% | 41% | 10% | 25% | 66% |
| History | 124 | 57% | 41% | 17% | 26% | 48% |
| Physical Education | 81 | 37% | 11% | 21% | 24% | 69% |
| Business Studies | 77 | 35% | 18% | 18% | 20% | 56% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 59 | 27% | 8% | 29% | 21% | 80% |
| Sociology | 58 | 26% | 4% | 7% | 21% | 45% |
| Fine Art | 56 | 26% | 9% | 14% | 28% | 77% |
| Physics | 53 | 24% | 23% | 30% | 46% | 70% |
| Chemistry | 52 | 24% | 23% | 19% | 47% | 63% |
| Biology | 52 | 24% | 23% | 19% | 45% | 73% |
| French | 46 | 21% | 18% | 20% | 29% | 59% |
| German | 37 | 17% | 5% | 22% | 33% | 78% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 12% | 13% | 23% | 30% | 54% |
| Drama | 25 | 11% | 7% | 4% | 27% | 52% |
| Textiles | 23 | 11% | 2% | 22% | 27% | 61% |
| Music | 19 | 9% | 5% | 11% | 33% | 37% |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 25 | 33% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Magdalen College School | West Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 195 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 76 | 1,852 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 29.59 | 34.15 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 8% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Education | 23 | 30% | 3% |
| History | 23 | 30% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 21 | 28% | 13% |
| Geography | 19 | 25% | 10% |
| Psychology | 18 | 24% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 17 | 22% | 31% |
| English Language and Literature | 16 | 21% | 2% |
| Biology | 13 | 17% | 20% |
| English Literature | 12 | 16% | 11% |
| Sociology | 10 | 13% | 13% |
| Physics | 9 | 12% | 12% |
| Religious Studies | 9 | 12% | 4% |
| Chemistry | 8 | 11% | 17% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| German | — | — | 0% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 72 | 95% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 11 | 14% | — |
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.