School profile

St Mary's RC High School

Secondary · Voluntary aided school · Hereford, HR1 4DR

Outstanding

Map showing St Mary's RC High School

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#628 of 3,312

Better than 81% of schools in England

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

St Mary's RC High School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 29 Jan 2019

Ofsted rating
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages11 to 16
Pupils745
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Stuart Wetson
Local authorityHerefordshire, County of
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 116992.

GCSE results

2025/26

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

MeasureThis schoolHerefordshire, County ofEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.53.2, better than England, better than Herefordshire, County of45.346.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.81.9%, better than England, better than Herefordshire, County of63.2%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.63.8%, better than England, better than Herefordshire, County of41.8%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.13.4%, similar to England, better than Herefordshire, County of9.9%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths75.8%, better than England, better than Herefordshire, County of58.9%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4149--

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 pupils745
Girls372
Boys373
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.10.3%
First language not English27.8%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.792
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.5.9%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.135
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.33
Average class size24

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
64.6%
Other White
16%
Indian
9.9%
Other mixed
2.6%
White and Asian
1.9%
Other ethnic group
1.6%
White and Black African
1.2%
Other Asian
0.7%
African
0.7%
Other Black
0.4%

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 teacher17.4
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.12.3
Teachers (FTE)42.77
Teaching assistants (FTE)13.25
Support staff (FTE)32.13
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2544.5
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2535.3
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/252
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/257.2

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.146
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.340
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.189
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.144
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)4

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 schoolHerefordshire, County ofEngland
Overall absence5.3%, better than England, better than Herefordshire, County of7.7%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.10.8%, better than England, better than Herefordshire, County of20.7%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.5%, better than England, better than Herefordshire, County of3.3%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 rate2.4%
Pupils with one or more suspensions1.3%
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.90%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.80.7%
Sixth form college54.7%
Further education25.3%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.7.3%
Apprenticeship4.7%
Employment4.7%
School sixth form0%

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 Mary's RC High School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.6 miPrimaryLugwardine Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miSecondaryThe Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat SchoolVoluntary aided school
Requires improvement
1.2 miPrimarySt Paul's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.4 miPrimaryHampton Dene Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.5 miSecondaryAylestone SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
1.6 miPrimaryBroadlands Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.7 mi16 plusHereford Sixth Form CollegeAcademy 16-19 converter
Unrated

Frequently asked questions about St Mary's RC High School

What is St Mary's RC High School's Ofsted rating?

St Mary's RC High School is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, last inspected on 29 Jan 2019.

How does St Mary's RC High School rank in England?

St Mary's RC High School ranks 628 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 81% of schools).

What are St Mary's RC High School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 63.8% of pupils at St Mary's RC High School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 53.2 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into St Mary's RC High School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, St Mary's RC High School made 146 offers from 340 applications (2.3 per offer), and 144 of 189 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend St Mary's RC High School?

St Mary's RC High School has 745 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of St Mary's RC High School?

St Mary's RC High School had 792 school places in 2024/25.

Does St Mary's RC High School have a sixth form?

No, St Mary's RC High School teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at St Mary's RC High School?

At St Mary's RC High School, the average class had 24 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 17.4 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at St Mary's RC High School?

In 2025/26, pupils at St Mary's RC High School missed 5.3% of sessions (England 8%), and 10.8% 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.