School Chooser

Breda Academy

Secondary · ages 11-18Controlled849 pupilsSixth formBelfastLisburn and Castlereagh
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredNorthern Ireland doesn't publish inspection grades or progress figures, so we can't give its schools a score. GCSE and A level results, attendance, pupil numbers and free school meals are below.
Five good GCSEs incl. English and maths51%NI non-grammar schools 60%
Pupils with special needs31%NI 26%
Attendance83.0%NI 87.9%
Pupils from low-income families45%Far more than most schools
Pupils on roll849Census October 2025

Breda Academy is a controlled school in Belfast for pupils aged 11 to 18. It has 849 pupils. About 45 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in Northern Ireland. In 2025, 51% of Year 12 pupils got five good GCSEs including English and maths (non-grammar schools in Northern Ireland: 60%).

Newtownbreda Road, Belfast, BT8 6PYAll details

Inspection

Schools in Northern Ireland are inspected by the Education and Training Inspectorate. Since 2024 its reports end with a written summary and next steps instead of a grade, and there is no published list of outcomes.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

101 Year 12 pupils. We compare them with non-grammar post-primary schools across Northern Ireland, because grammar schools pick pupils by ability, so setting them against other schools wouldn't be fair.

Five good GCSEs including English and maths51%
Northern Ireland 60%
Official name: 5+ GCSEs at A* to C including GCSE English and maths
Five good GCSEs96%
Northern Ireland 85%
Official name: 5+ GCSEs at grades A* to C (or equivalent)
Entered for five or more GCSEs98%
Northern Ireland 99%
Official name: Entered for 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent)
Trend
Five good GCSEs including English and maths
2017 to 2025
2017: 39%39%20172018: 38%38%20182019: 43%43%20192023: 56%56%20232024: 38%38%20242025: 51%51%2025
Since 2017: +11%

A level results, summer 2025

71 pupils in the final year of A level or equivalent courses.

Three good A levels73%
Northern Ireland 57%
Official name: 3+ A levels at grades A* to C (or equivalent)
Two A levels passed97%
Northern Ireland 97%
Official name: 2+ A levels at grades A* to E (or equivalent)
All measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017NI non-grammar
Year 12 pupils1018290131103142
Entered for five or more GCSEsEntered for 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent)98%100%100%99%
Five good GCSEs5+ GCSEs at grades A* to C (or equivalent)96%94%99%79%70%69%85%
Five good GCSEs including English and maths5+ GCSEs at A* to C including GCSE English and maths51%38%56%43%38%39%60%
Year 14 pupils71585742
Three good A levels3+ A levels at grades A* to C (or equivalent)73%78%63%30%40%57%
Two A levels passed2+ A levels at grades A* to E (or equivalent)97%98%98%76%94%95%97%

No results were published for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Figures include equivalent qualifications; a value is withheld when fewer than five pupils are involved.

Getting a place

No entrance test. When more children apply than there are places, the school's own rules decide who gets in. Usually that means brothers and sisters of current pupils first, then children from its feeder primaries, then whoever lives closest.

Apply through the Education Authority's online admissions system in January.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll849Census October 2025
Pupils entitled to free school meals45%383 pupils; NI 32%
Pupils with special educational needs31%87 with a statement; NI 26%
Newcomer pupils12%arrived with little English; NI 6%
Catholic pupils8%as recorded in the school census; NI 48%

Attendance

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 83.0% of the time. Across similar schools in Northern Ireland it was 87.9%. Northern Ireland doesn't publish figures on pupils who miss a lot of school, or on suspensions, for individual schools.

Attendance83.0%
Northern Ireland 87.9%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Missed without permission6.3%of school time; NI 5.8%

Nearby schools

The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Wellington CollegeGrammar1.1 miles794ETI, no open dataCompare
Lagan College, BelfastIntegrated1.5 miles1,472ETI, no open dataCompare
St Joseph's CollegeCatholic maintained1.5 miles898ETI, no open dataCompare
Aquinas Grammar SchoolGrammar1.5 miles995ETI, no open dataCompare
Victoria CollegeGrammar1.8 miles948ETI, no open dataCompare
Methodist CollegeGrammar2.1 miles1,855ETI, no open dataCompare
Grosvenor Grammar SchoolGrammar2.4 miles1,208ETI, no open dataCompare
Malone Integrated CollegeIntegrated2.9 miles818ETI, no open dataCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Breda Academy a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Breda Academy yet. Northern Ireland doesn't publish inspection grades.

How good are Breda Academy's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 51% of Year 12 pupils got five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and maths, against 60% across non-grammar schools in Northern Ireland. 73% of Year 14 pupils got three A levels at A* to C.

How many pupils does Breda Academy have?

849 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in October 2025.

Does Breda Academy have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Newtownbreda Road, Belfast, BT8 6PY
Type of school
Controlled school (Controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
Religious character
None
Local authority
Lisburn and Castlereagh
Ward
Newtownbreda
Setting
Urban
DE reference
4210316 · LAESTAB 4210316

Where these figures come from