School profile

St Mary's Catholic High School

Secondary · Voluntary aided school · Leyland, PR25 1BS

Good

Map showing St Mary's Catholic High School

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#1,497 of 3,312

Similar to most schools in England

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

St Mary's Catholic High School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 21 Jun 2016

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages11 to 16
Pupils813
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Phil Thompson
Local authorityLancashire
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 119816.

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 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.46.8, similar to England, similar to Lancashire45.346.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.75%, better than England, better than Lancashire63.5%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.46.2%, similar to England, similar to Lancashire43.8%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.5.1%, worse than England, worse than Lancashire12.4%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths70.5%, better than England, better than Lancashire59.1%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4156--

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 pupils813
Girls376
Boys437
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.21.2%
First language not English4.7%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.965
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.15.8%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.180
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.20
Average class size23.1

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
89.2%
Other White
4.2%
White and Black Caribbean
1.6%
White and Black African
0.9%
White and Asian
0.9%
Other mixed
0.9%
Other Asian
0.6%
Chinese
0.5%
African
0.4%
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 teacher15.7
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.10.9
Teachers (FTE)51.81
Teaching assistants (FTE)14.13
Support staff (FTE)39.5
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2551.4
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2545.6
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/253.6
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/252.2

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.160
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.474
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.199
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.153
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.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolLancashireEngland
Overall absence7%, better than England, better than Lancashire8.1%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.17.5%, better than England, better than Lancashire21.8%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.9%, better than England, better than Lancashire3.5%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 rate14.9%
Pupils with one or more suspensions7.5%
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.91.4%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.82.1%
Further education77.5%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.7.9%
Employment6%
Sixth form college3.3%
Apprenticeship3.3%
School sixth form1.3%

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 Catholic High School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.4 miPrimarySeven Stars Primary SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
0.4 miPrimarySt Anne's Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.4 miPrimaryWoodlea Junior SchoolAcademy converter
Unrated
0.4 miPrimaryLeyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
0.6 miSecondaryAcademy@WordenAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimaryNorthbrook Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.8 miSecondaryWellfield AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
0.8 miPrimaryLeyland St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.9 miPrimaryLeyland St James Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryMoss Side Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about St Mary's Catholic High School

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

St Mary's Catholic High School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 21 Jun 2016.

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

St Mary's Catholic High School ranks 1,497 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (similar to most schools).

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

In 2025/26, 46.2% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic High School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 46.8 (England 46.2).

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

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, St Mary's Catholic High School made 160 offers from 474 applications (3 per offer), and 153 of 199 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

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

St Mary's Catholic High School has 813 pupils aged 11 to 16.

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

St Mary's Catholic High School had 965 school places in 2024/25.

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

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

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

At St Mary's Catholic High School, the average class had 23.1 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 15.7 pupils per teacher.

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

In 2025/26, pupils at St Mary's Catholic High School missed 7% of sessions (England 8%), and 17.5% 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.