Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,505 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.2
Academy sponsor led
Thorp Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,442of 1,740 places
- Free school meals
- 26.4%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 251
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 19 June 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Charles Thorp Comprehensive School (URN 108405, until 13 August 2014).
What the data says
Of the 226 pupils who finished Year 11 at Thorp Academy in 2023, 38% stayed on in Thorp Academy’s own sixth form (Gateshead average 40%), 39% went to a further education college and 7% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 66 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 58% went to university (Gateshead 33%, England 37%), and 16% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Fine Art is unusually popular at GCSE: 24% of the year group took it, against 9% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 47.2 against 46.1 across England and 47.0 in Gateshead, with 54% 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 Gateshead and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Thorp Academy | Gateshead | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 226 | 2,044 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 80% | 84% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 38% | 40% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | — | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 39% | 42% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 7% | 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 | Thorp Academy | Gateshead | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 66 | 2,144 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 79% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 58% | 33% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 16% | 17% | 19% |
| Further education | 3% | 7% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 11% | 12% | 7% |
| Employment | 18% | 28% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 14% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Thorp Academy | Gateshead | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 47.2 | 47.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 54% | 50% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 76% | 69% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 39% | 49% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.26 | 4.23 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 27% | 31% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 33.5 | 33.9 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 52.3 | 52.8 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 2% | 10% | 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 | 251 | 100% | 88% | 18% | 22% | 78% |
| English Literature | 251 | 100% | 86% | 17% | 21% | 78% |
| English Language | 251 | 100% | 89% | 20% | 20% | 75% |
| Combined Science | 214 | 85% | 65% | 13% | 9% | 68% |
| Geography | 128 | 51% | 41% | 17% | 25% | 66% |
| History | 113 | 45% | 41% | 27% | 26% | 72% |
| French | 95 | 38% | 18% | 18% | 29% | 78% |
| Fine Art | 60 | 24% | 9% | 17% | 28% | 97% |
| Business Studies | 46 | 18% | 18% | 7% | 20% | 61% |
| Sociology | 45 | 18% | 4% | 7% | 21% | 53% |
| Computer Science | 42 | 17% | 13% | 26% | 30% | 86% |
| Chemistry | 28 | 11% | 23% | 43% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 28 | 11% | 23% | 61% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 28 | 11% | 23% | 46% | 46% | 100% |
| Music | 9 | 4% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 44% |
| Astronomy | 6 | 2% | 0% | 83% | 29% | 100% |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Studies | 53 | 91% | — |
| Sports Studies | 45 | 78% | — |
| Health Studies | 43 | 74% | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 42 | 72% | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 24 | 41% | — |
| Multimedia | 17 | 29% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 7 | 12% | — |
| Personal Health | 1 | 2% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Thorp Academy | Gateshead | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 146 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 58 | 769 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.32 | 34.17 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | B- | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 23% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| History | 19 | 33% | 13% |
| Psychology | 15 | 26% | 23% |
| Business Studies | 14 | 24% | 13% |
| Mathematics | 13 | 22% | 31% |
| Law | 13 | 22% | 4% |
| Sociology | 12 | 21% | 13% |
| Fine Art | 8 | 14% | 3% |
| Biology | 7 | 12% | 20% |
| English Language | 6 | 10% | 4% |
| Chemistry | 6 | 10% | 17% |
| French | — | — | 1% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 13 | 22% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 9 | 16% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 8 | 14% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 6 | 10% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 10% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 10% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma at Level 3 | 6 | 10% | — |
| Manufacturing Engineering | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Gateshead
Grace College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,125 pupils
74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.9
Heworth Grange School
Academy sponsor led · 910 pupils
75% stayed in education · Attainment 8 36.4
Kingsmeadow Community School
Community school · sixth form · 868 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.9
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,334 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.6
St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,401 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 51.9
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.