School profile

St Thomas More RC College

Secondary · Voluntary aided school · Manchester, M34 6AF

Good

Map showing St Thomas More RC College

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#1,280 of 3,312

Better than 61% of schools in England

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

St Thomas More RC College Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 5 Dec 2012

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages11 to 16
Pupils797
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Huw Brophy
Local authorityTameside
Opened01 Jan 1900
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 106271.

GCSE results

2025/26

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

MeasureThis schoolTamesideEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.48.1, similar to England, better than Tameside43.746.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.74.5%, better than England, better than Tameside63.6%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.51%, better than England, better than Tameside43.3%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.12.1%, worse than England, similar to Tameside10.4%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths64.3%, better than England, better than Tameside57.3%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4157--

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

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils797
Girls413
Boys384
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.26.5%
First language not English5.9%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.912
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.12.6%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.71
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.58
Average class size24.2

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
76.9%
African
6.1%
Other White
4.5%
White and Black Caribbean
2.4%
Other mixed
1.9%
Chinese
1.1%
White and Black African
1%
Irish
0.6%
White and Asian
0.6%
Pakistani
0.5%

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 teacher16.2
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.12.4
Teachers (FTE)49.2
Teaching assistants (FTE)12
Support staff (FTE)33
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2550.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2548.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/252
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250.6

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.149
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.457
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.195
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.144
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)87

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 schoolTamesideEngland
Overall absence6.8%, better than England, better than Tameside8.6%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.16.8%, better than England, better than Tameside23.3%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.2.8%, better than England, better than Tameside4.3%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 rate41.7%
Pupils with one or more suspensions11.6%
Permanent exclusion rate0.4%
Permanent exclusions3

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.93.4%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.88.7%
Sixth form college45.7%
Further education41.1%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.4%
Apprenticeship2.6%
Employment2%
School sixth form0.7%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 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 St Thomas More RC College
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.2 miPrimarySt Mary's RC Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.2 miPrimaryGreswell Primary School and NurseryAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimaryCorrie Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.6 miPrimaryLinden Road AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.7 miNot applicableAshlea House SchoolOther independent school
Good
0.7 miSecondaryDenton Community AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Inadequate
0.7 miPrimaryRussell Scott Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miPrimarySt Anne's Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryManor Green Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.9 miPrimarySt John Fisher RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy, DentonAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about St Thomas More RC College

What is St Thomas More RC College's Ofsted rating?

St Thomas More RC College is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 5 Dec 2012.

How does St Thomas More RC College rank in England?

St Thomas More RC College ranks 1,280 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 61% of schools).

What are St Thomas More RC College's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 51% of pupils at St Thomas More RC College got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 48.1 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into St Thomas More RC College?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, St Thomas More RC College made 149 offers from 457 applications (3.1 per offer), and 144 of 195 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend St Thomas More RC College?

St Thomas More RC College has 797 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of St Thomas More RC College?

St Thomas More RC College had 912 school places in 2024/25.

Does St Thomas More RC College have a sixth form?

No, St Thomas More RC College teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at St Thomas More RC College?

At St Thomas More RC College, the average class had 24.2 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 16.2 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at St Thomas More RC College?

In 2025/26, pupils at St Thomas More RC College missed 6.8% of sessions (England 8%), and 16.8% 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.