School profile

Our Lady's Catholic High School

Secondary · Voluntary aided school · Preston, PR2 3SQ

Good

Map showing Our Lady's Catholic High School

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#502 of 3,312

Better than 84% of schools in England

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

Our Lady's Catholic High School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 28 Sept 2022

Ofsted rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages11 to 16
Pupils902 of 932 places
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Richard Charnock
Local authorityLancashire
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 119779.

GCSE results

2025/26

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

MeasureThis schoolLancashireEngland
Attainment 8 score54.945.346.2
Grade 4 or above in English and maths77.3%63.5%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths54.7%43.8%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and maths21%12.4%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths74%59.1%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4181--

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

Pupils

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils902
Girls466
Boys436
Eligible for free school meals17.8%
First language not English15.2%
SEN support93
EHC plan21
Average class size25.9

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

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Pupils ethnicity

White British
66.1%
Other White
8.4%
Indian
8%
Other Asian
3.4%
African
3.2%
Other mixed
2.4%
White and Black Caribbean
2%
Pakistani
2%
White and Black African
1.4%
White and Asian
0.7%

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

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed. Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means missing 50% or more.

MeasureThis schoolLancashireEngland
Overall absence5.6%8.1%8%
Persistent absence13.1%21.8%21.6%
Severe absence1.8%3.5%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 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)175
Applications (Year 7)623
First preference applications (Year 7)163
First preference offers (Year 7)148
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)1

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

Capacity

2024/25
MeasureThis school
School places932
Pupils on roll896
Unfilled places3.9%

Source: DfE, School capacity, Academic year 2024/25, published 19 Mar 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher16.2
Pupils per adult10.9
Teachers (FTE)55.66
Teaching assistants (FTE)18.55
Support staff (FTE)51.99
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2553.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2550.5
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253.3

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

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25
MeasureThis school
Suspension rate11.2%
Pupils with one or more suspensions4.8%
Permanent exclusion rate0.4%
Permanent exclusions4

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 destination93.1%
Staying in education81%
Sixth form college52.9%
Further education24.1%
Apprenticeship8%
Not sustained6.3%
Employment4%
School sixth form2.9%

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 Our Lady's Catholic High School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimarySt Anthony's Catholic Primary School, PrestonAcademy converter
Good
0.2 miPrimaryFulwood and Cadley Primary SchoolCommunity school
Inadequate
0.5 miSecondaryFulwood AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.5 miPrimaryQueen's Drive Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miNot applicableSt Pius X Preparatory SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.7 miPrimaryThe Roebuck SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
0.8 miPrimaryIngol Community Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miSecondaryCorpus Christi Catholic High SchoolVoluntary aided school
Outstanding
0.8 miPrimaryHarris Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryPool House Community Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Our Lady's Catholic High School

What is Our Lady's Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?

Our Lady's Catholic High School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 28 Sept 2022.

How does Our Lady's Catholic High School rank in England?

Our Lady's Catholic High School ranks 502 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 84% of schools).

How many pupils attend Our Lady's Catholic High School?

Our Lady's Catholic High School has 902 pupils aged 11 to 16, with capacity for 932.

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.