Ashington Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 964 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.1
Academy converter
The Duchess's Community High School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,276of 1,651 places
- Free school meals
- 18.4%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 253
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement, 19 October 2021Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: The Duchess's Community High School (URN 122362, until 1 November 2023).
What the data says
Of the 234 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Duchess's Community High School in 2023, 43% stayed on in The Duchess's Community High School’s own sixth form (Northumberland average 43%), 35% went to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Food Preparation and Nutrition is unusually popular at GCSE: 23% of the year group took it, against 8% of pupils across England.
Among the 116 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 41% went to university (Northumberland 48%, England 37%), and 20% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 43.2 against 46.1 across England and 44.0 in Northumberland, with 38% 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 Northumberland and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 234 | 3,151 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 79% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 43% | 43% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| — further education college | 35% | 36% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 6% | 3% |
| Employment | 6% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 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 | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 116 | 1,385 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 80% | 87% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 41% | 48% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 20% | 28% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 3% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 11% | 7% |
| Employment | 32% | 25% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 17% | 10% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 43.2 | 44.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 38% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 15% | 32% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.62 | 3.82 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 24% | 27% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 32.5 | 30.9 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 46.5 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 3% | 3% | 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 | 248 | 98% | 88% | 17% | 22% | 72% |
| English Language | 248 | 98% | 89% | 15% | 20% | 58% |
| English Literature | 241 | 95% | 86% | 15% | 21% | 68% |
| Combined Science | 175 | 69% | 65% | 9% | 9% | 51% |
| Geography | 157 | 62% | 41% | 17% | 25% | 56% |
| Business Studies | 83 | 33% | 18% | 8% | 20% | 58% |
| History | 73 | 29% | 41% | 18% | 26% | 62% |
| Biology | 67 | 26% | 23% | 28% | 45% | 75% |
| Physics | 66 | 26% | 23% | 29% | 46% | 68% |
| Chemistry | 64 | 25% | 23% | 28% | 47% | 70% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 57 | 23% | 8% | 16% | 21% | 54% |
| Fine Art | 49 | 19% | 9% | 39% | 28% | 92% |
| Spanish | 39 | 15% | 19% | 8% | 27% | 38% |
| Photography | 39 | 15% | 6% | 26% | 19% | 69% |
| Classical Civilisation | 26 | 10% | 1% | 12% | 40% | 46% |
| Computer Science | 22 | 9% | 13% | 27% | 30% | 64% |
| French | 21 | 8% | 18% | 38% | 29% | 81% |
| Physical Education | 19 | 8% | 11% | 42% | 24% | 95% |
| Design and Technology | 17 | 7% | 11% | 6% | 23% | 41% |
| Music | 15 | 6% | 5% | 40% | 33% | 87% |
| Textiles | 12 | 5% | 2% | 33% | 27% | 83% |
| Drama | 9 | 4% | 7% | 33% | 27% | 89% |
| Religious Studies | 7 | 3% | 31% | 29% | 32% | 86% |
| German | 2 | 1% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Engineering | 45 | 54% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | 34 | 40% | — |
| Health Studies | 31 | 37% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 26 | 31% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 22 | 26% | — |
| Beauty Care / Services | 20 | 24% | — |
| Music Technology (Electronic) | 8 | 10% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 241 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 84 | 1,089 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.81 | 34.22 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | 28 | 33% | 10% |
| Mathematics | 25 | 30% | 31% |
| Business Studies | 18 | 21% | 13% |
| Biology | 18 | 21% | 20% |
| Psychology | 15 | 18% | 23% |
| English Literature | 13 | 15% | 11% |
| Classical Civilisation | 9 | 11% | 1% |
| Physics | 9 | 11% | 12% |
| Photography | 8 | 10% | 3% |
| Chemistry | 8 | 10% | 17% |
| Computer Science | 8 | 10% | 5% |
| History | 8 | 10% | 13% |
| Sociology | 7 | 8% | 13% |
| Further Mathematics | 7 | 8% | 5% |
| English Language | 7 | 8% | 4% |
| Physical Education | 7 | 8% | 3% |
| Religious Studies | 7 | 8% | 4% |
| Politics | 6 | 7% | 6% |
| Environmental Science | — | — | 1% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 16 | 19% | — |
| Health Studies | VRQ Level 3 | 14 | 17% | — |
| Childcare Skills | VRQ Level 3 | 9 | 11% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 8 | 10% | — |
| Finance / Accounting (General) | VRQ Level 3 | 6 | 7% | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Northumberland
Bede Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 2,030 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.9
Bedlington Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 822 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.4
Berwick Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 601 pupils
73% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.3
Coquet Community School
Community school · sixth form · 567 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.9
Cramlington Learning Village
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,989 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.7
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.