School profile

St Edmund's Catholic School

Secondary · Voluntary aided school · Portsmouth, PO1 1RX

Outstanding

Map showing St Edmund's Catholic School

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#433 of 3,312

Better than 86% of schools in England

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

St Edmund's Catholic School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 2 Feb 2016

Ofsted rating
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages11 to 16
Pupils1,157
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Simon Graham
Local authorityPortsmouth
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 116505.

GCSE results

2025/26

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

MeasureThis schoolPortsmouthEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.56, better than England, better than Portsmouth39.346.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.86.5%, better than England, better than Portsmouth55.1%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.64%, better than England, better than Portsmouth34.1%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.20.7%, better than England, better than Portsmouth8%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths82.4%, better than England, better than Portsmouth50%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4222--

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 pupils1,157
Girls602
Boys555
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.28.3%
First language not English47.7%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,150
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.130
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.31
Average class size24.4

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
37.4%
Other White
20.7%
African
18.8%
Indian
5.6%
Chinese
3.5%
Other Asian
3.1%
White and Asian
2%
Other mixed
1.9%
White and Black African
1.8%
Other ethnic group
1.2%

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 teacher16.6
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.10.5
Teachers (FTE)69.8
Teaching assistants (FTE)27.36
Support staff (FTE)68.83
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2566
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2564
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/252

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.238
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.700
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.416
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.234
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)62

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 schoolPortsmouthEngland
Overall absence3.7%, better than England, better than Portsmouth9.2%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.6.6%, better than England, better than Portsmouth23.3%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.9%, better than England, better than Portsmouth4.6%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 rate3.9%
Pupils with one or more suspensions1.1%
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.95.6%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.93%
Further education59%
Sixth form college26.2%
School sixth form7.9%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.2.6%
Employment1.7%
Apprenticeship0.9%

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 Edmund's Catholic School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.2 miPrimarySt John's Cathedral Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.2 miSecondaryArk Charter AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.2 miPrimaryArundel Court Primary Academy and NurseryAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.2 miPrimaryArk Ayrton Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.5 miPrimaryArk Dickens Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.5 miSecondaryPriory SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.5 miPrimaryPenbridge Infant SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.5 miPrimaryCottage Grove Primary School and NurseryAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.6 miNot applicableMadani AcademyOther independent school
Good
0.6 miSecondaryThe Portsmouth AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good

Frequently asked questions about St Edmund's Catholic School

What is St Edmund's Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

St Edmund's Catholic School is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, last inspected on 2 Feb 2016.

How does St Edmund's Catholic School rank in England?

St Edmund's Catholic School ranks 433 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 86% of schools).

What are St Edmund's Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 64% of pupils at St Edmund's Catholic School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 56 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into St Edmund's Catholic School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, St Edmund's Catholic School made 238 offers from 700 applications (2.9 per offer), and 234 of 416 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend St Edmund's Catholic School?

St Edmund's Catholic School has 1,157 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of St Edmund's Catholic School?

St Edmund's Catholic School had 1,150 school places in 2024/25.

Does St Edmund's Catholic School have a sixth form?

No, St Edmund's Catholic School teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at St Edmund's Catholic School?

At St Edmund's Catholic School, the average class had 24.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 16.6 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at St Edmund's Catholic School?

In 2025/26, pupils at St Edmund's Catholic School missed 3.7% of sessions (England 8%), and 6.6% 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.