Beacon Hill Academy
Academy converter · 1,117 pupils
78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.0
Academy sponsor led
The Link Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,013of 1,050 places
- Free school meals
- 51.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 195
- Ofsted
- Report card, 19 May 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Strong standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Strong standardLeadership and governance Strong standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Hillcrest School and Community College (URN 103863, until 13 June 2017).
What the data says
The Link Academy has no sixth form. Of the 169 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 4% moved to a sixth form college, 67% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
15% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 40.4 against 46.1 across England and 43.0 in Dudley, with 33% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Languages are a small part of the curriculum here: entries in French and German add up to 14% of the year group, and 19% of pupils entered the full EBacc set of subjects (England 41%).
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 Dudley and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Link Academy | Dudley | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 169 | 3,412 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 80% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 76% | 84% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 5% | 12% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 4% | 12% | 13% |
| — further education college | 67% | 59% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 15% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Link Academy | Dudley | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 40.4 | 43.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33% | 41% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 57% | 61% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 19% | 31% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.48 | 3.69 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 47% | 30% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 39.5 | 32.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 41.3 | 47.6 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 21% | 11% | 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 | 194 | 99% | 89% | 14% | 20% | 70% |
| Combined Science | 194 | 99% | 65% | 7% | 9% | 55% |
| Mathematics | 194 | 99% | 88% | 10% | 22% | 59% |
| English Literature | 194 | 99% | 86% | 15% | 21% | 65% |
| Geography | 105 | 54% | 41% | 8% | 25% | 40% |
| History | 78 | 40% | 41% | 19% | 26% | 58% |
| Business Studies | 55 | 28% | 18% | 2% | 20% | 18% |
| 3D Design | 38 | 19% | 2% | 16% | 16% | 74% |
| Photography | 31 | 16% | 6% | 6% | 19% | 77% |
| Physical Education | 27 | 14% | 11% | 11% | 24% | 78% |
| French | 26 | 13% | 18% | 23% | 29% | 92% |
| Fine Art | 24 | 12% | 9% | 13% | 28% | 67% |
| Religious Studies | 20 | 10% | 31% | 30% | 32% | 75% |
| Computer Science | 20 | 10% | 13% | 20% | 30% | 60% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 19 | 10% | 8% | 5% | 21% | 42% |
| Drama | 14 | 7% | 7% | 14% | 27% | 86% |
| Urdu | 5 | 3% | 1% | — | 42% | — |
| Italian | 3 | 2% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Japanese | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| German | 1 | 1% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 33 | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | 24 | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | 16 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 14 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 14 | — | — |
| Additional Mathematics FSMQ | 4 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Dudley
Bishop Milner Catholic College
Academy converter · sixth form · 798 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.9
Ellowes Hall Sports College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,038 pupils
78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.1
Kingswinford Academy
Academy converter · 917 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.3
Leasowes High School
Academy converter · 1,043 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.8
Old Swinford Hospital
Voluntary aided school · sixth form · 1,036 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 59.0
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.