Academy converter

Carnforth High School

Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth formLancashire, North West · Carnforth LA5 9LSTrust: The Bay Learning TrustSchool website
Pupils on roll
657of 754 places
Free school meals
32.0%
Year 11 cohort 2025
120
Ofsted
Report card, 14 April 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Needs attentionAchievement Needs attentionAttendance and behaviour Expected standardPersonal development and wellbeing Expected standardInclusion Expected standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Carnforth High School (URN 119748, until 1 October 2017).

What the data says

Carnforth High School has no sixth form. Of the 126 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 2% moved to a sixth form college, 53% to a further education college and 12% started an apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 12% of leavers started one, roughly three times the England figure of 3%.

Media Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 22% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.

GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 39.8 against 46.1 across England and 45.1 in Lancashire, 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 Lancashire and England.

Carnforth High School
Lancashire
England
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureCarnforth High SchoolLancashireEngland
Pupils in the cohort12613,296607,348
Any sustained destination87%90%92%
Stayed in education71%81%86%
— school sixth form15%12%34%
— sixth form college2%20%13%
— further education college53%48%37%
— other education0%2%2%
Apprenticeship12%5%3%
Employment5%4%3%
No sustained destination10%7%6%
Destination unknown2%2%3%

GCSE results 2025

MeasureCarnforth High SchoolLancashireEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)39.845.146.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths29%44%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths57%64%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects14%34%41%
EBacc average point score3.363.954.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort29%26%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils27.832.734.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils44.849.350.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)
English as an additional language3%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.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
English Language120100%89%6%20%56%
Mathematics120100%88%8%22%62%
English Literature11999%86%10%21%68%
Combined Science9579%65%0%9%52%
Geography6655%41%20%25%70%
History6050%41%17%26%53%
Fine Art3832%9%5%28%58%
Business Studies3529%18%0%20%40%
Physical Education3328%11%30%24%91%
Design and Technology3126%11%0%23%39%
Media Studies2622%4%8%20%50%
Biology2420%23%33%45%96%
Chemistry2420%23%29%47%96%
Physics2420%23%29%46%92%
Drama2017%7%5%27%60%
Spanish1714%19%12%27%41%
Food Preparation and Nutrition1613%8%0%21%63%
Computer Science98%13%0%30%22%
Polish33%1%84%

Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Health Studies24
Beauty Care / Services19

Other secondary schools in Lancashire

Academy@Worden

Academy converter · 660 pupils

74% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.2

Accrington Academy

Academy sponsor led · 953 pupils

79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.4

Albany Academy

Academy converter · 725 pupils

76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.7

Alder Grange School

Community school · sixth form · 899 pupils

82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.0

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.