Years 10 and 11 - GCSEs

Whilst for many entering Year 10 can be an exciting time, for others approaching public examinations can be daunting. Students are supported throughout by familiar teaching staff and a strong pastoral team to ensure that they feel in control of their own learning and progress.

GCSE Options Booklet

Leweston prides itself on offering a bespoke approach to GCSE choices where pupils are invited to select the courses that they want to study with the timetable then constructed around them. We work hard to offer a varied choice of subjects and, whatever a pupil’s strengths, there will be a suitable combination of subjects for them. Our individual approach to teaching and learning ensures every pupil can develop within their chosen programme and the curriculum and teaching is designed to lay the foundations for the A Level or BTEC choices available at Sixth Form.

All pupils take GCSEs in the core subjects of English Literature, English Language, Mathematics, Science and Religious Studies. Pupils are then free to choose up to three option subjects. Able mathematicians may also take Further Mathematics.

Although these are critical years for academic study there is still plenty of opportunity to get involved in activities, clubs and the wider community. Students are encouraged to spend time away from the classroom and many are involved in school sports, choirs and ensembles and the popular Duke of Edinburgh programme.

Value Added

When pupils start at Leweston they sit a standardised set of national assessments which provide a baseline against which future progress can be measured. The ‘value-added’ is simply a measure of how much better a student does than their baseline data would predict; literally the value that is added to the pupil’s progress by studying at the school. Over the past two years over 32% of the GCSE grades achieved at Leweston were one or more grades above baseline predictions, proving, once again, the exceptional value that is added to our pupils’ results thanks to the pupils’ positive mind-sets and the exceptional support from our professional and dedicated staff.

GCSE Results

For the past nine years Leweston pupils have achieved GCSE results impressively higher than the national average.

In 2026, Leweston students achieved 93% of grades at 9–4 and 48% at 9–7, the school's strongest overall GCSE performance in five years.

Thirteen subjects recorded their strongest results of the past three years, including Mathematics, English Language, English Literature, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. More than half of all subjects achieved over 50% of grades at 9–7, with Business and Fine Art each recording three-quarters of grades at 9–7, and Geography achieving almost 90% of entries at 9–7.

Our value-added performance was exceptional, with pupils achieving up to two grades higher than their baseline predictions, and in almost a third of all subjects, students achieved on average at least a grade higher than their baseline predictions, reflecting the dedication of both students and staff.

Leweston is about much more than academic achievement. Alongside these outstanding results, pupils in the 2026 GCSE cohort have taken part in the Pentathlon GB Development Pathway, earned Music and LAMDA distinction and represented their county and country in a range of sports

This combination of academic excellence and personal development is what makes Leweston truly distinctive.