School profile

Finchley Catholic High School

Secondary · Voluntary aided school · London, N12 8TA

Good

Map showing Finchley Catholic High School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#276 of 3,312

Better than 91% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

A-level 2024/25

#880 of 2,536

Better than 65% of schools in England

Ranked by average points per A-level entry.

Finchley Catholic High School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 6 Nov 2013

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages11 to 18
Pupils1,172
GenderBoys
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Ciran Stapleton
Local authorityBarnet
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 101362.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolBarnetEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.59.5, better than England, better than Barnet56.946.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.85.6%, better than England, better than Barnet77.9%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.69.5%, better than England, better than Barnet64.5%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.24.1%, better than England, worse than Barnet30.6%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths83.3%, better than England, better than Barnet74.6%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4174--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

A-level results

2024/25

Results for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

MeasureThis schoolBarnetEngland
Average points per A-level entryA* is 60, A is 50, B is 40, C is 30, D is 20, E is 10.36.2, similar to England, worse than Barnet39.6135
Average A-level gradeB---
Average points, best three A-levels36.37, similar to England, worse than Barnet39.7935.78
Average grade, best three A-levelsB---
AAB or better13.2%, worse than England, worse than Barnet27.7%17.5%
A-level progress scoreCompared with students with similar GCSE results. 0 is average.-0.04, similar to England--
A-level progressAverage, similar to England--
Students at the end of 16 to 18 study173--
Average applied general gradeVocational qualifications, such as BTECs.Dist+--

Source: DfE, 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25, published 23 Apr 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils1,172
Girls77
Boys1,095
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.12.4%
First language not English26.5%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,303
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.10.1%
Sixth form places2024/25300
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.95
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.38
Average class size21.8

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
38.7%
Other White
19.3%
Irish
8.4%
African
7.3%
Other mixed
5.2%
Other Asian
4.8%
White and Asian
3.4%
Other ethnic group
2%
Indian
1.9%
Other Black
1.8%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher16.3
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11.8
Teachers (FTE)71.86
Teaching assistants (FTE)14.13
Support staff (FTE)47.88
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2573
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2560
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/255
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/258

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.180
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.439
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.169
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.151
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)163

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolBarnetEngland
Overall absence5.3%, better than England, better than Barnet6.1%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.13.2%, better than England, better than Barnet15.5%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.5%, better than England, similar to Barnet1.8%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate6%
Pupils with one or more suspensions4.4%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.97.2%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.94.9%
School sixth form69.5%
Further education19.8%
Sixth form college5.6%
Apprenticeship1.7%
Employment0.6%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.0.6%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Destinations after A-levels

2023/24

Where students went after 16 to 18 study, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.92.7%
Higher education64%
Employment17.3%
Apprenticeship6.7%
Further education4%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.2.7%

Source: DfE, 16 to 18 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Finchley Catholic High School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.3 miPrimarySt John's CofE Primary and Nursery SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.4 miNot applicableThe London MechinaOther independent school
Good
0.4 miPrimaryAlma PrimaryFree schools
Good
0.5 miPrimaryNorthside Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryQueenswell Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryQueenswell Infant & Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryWoodridge Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miSecondarySt Michael's Catholic Grammar SchoolVoluntary aided school
Outstanding
0.6 miPrimarySacks Morasha Jewish Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryAll Saints' CofE Nursery and Primary School N20Voluntary aided school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Finchley Catholic High School

What is Finchley Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?

Finchley Catholic High School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 6 Nov 2013.

How does Finchley Catholic High School rank in England?

Finchley Catholic High School ranks 276 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 91% of schools) and 880 of 2,536 schools in England for A-level 2024/25 (better than 65% of schools).

What are Finchley Catholic High School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 69.5% of pupils at Finchley Catholic High School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 59.5 (England 46.2).

What are Finchley Catholic High School's A-level results?

In 2024/25, the average A-level grade at Finchley Catholic High School was B-, and 13.2% of students got AAB or better (England 17.5%).

How hard is it to get into Finchley Catholic High School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Finchley Catholic High School made 180 offers from 439 applications (2.4 per offer), and 151 of 169 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Finchley Catholic High School?

Finchley Catholic High School has 1,172 pupils aged 11 to 18.

What is the capacity of Finchley Catholic High School?

Finchley Catholic High School had 1,303 school places in 2024/25.

Does Finchley Catholic High School have a sixth form?

Yes, Finchley Catholic High School has a sixth form with 300 places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Finchley Catholic High School?

At Finchley Catholic High School, the average class had 21.8 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 16.3 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Finchley Catholic High School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Finchley Catholic High School missed 5.3% of sessions (England 8%), and 13.2% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.