School profile

Saint Michael's Catholic High School

Secondary · Academy converter · Watford, WD25 0SS

Good

Map showing Saint Michael's Catholic High School

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#1,169 of 3,312

Better than 64% of schools in England

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

A-level 2024/25

#1,049 of 2,536

Similar to most schools in England

Ranked by average points per A-level entry.

Saint Michael's Catholic High School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 4 Feb 2025

Area360 rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Sixth form provision
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages11 to 18
Pupils1,130
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Ian Petrie
TrustTHE DIOCESE OF WESTMINSTER ACADEMY TRUST
Local authorityHertfordshire
Opened01 Mar 2012
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 137922.

GCSE results

2025/26

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

MeasureThis schoolHertfordshireEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.48.8, better than England, similar to Hertfordshire50.446.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.66.1%, similar to England, worse than Hertfordshire71.3%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.43.3%, similar to England, worse than Hertfordshire53.6%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.7.2%, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire18.8%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths63.9%, better than England, worse than Hertfordshire67.2%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4180--

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

A-level results

2024/25

Results for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

MeasureThis schoolHertfordshireEngland
Average points per A-level entryA* is 60, A is 50, B is 40, C is 30, D is 20, E is 10.35.07, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire36.8235
Average A-level gradeB---
Average points, best three A-levels34.69, similar to England, worse than Hertfordshire37.435.78
Average grade, best three A-levelsC+--
AAB or better9.4%, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire19%17.5%
A-level progress scoreCompared with students with similar GCSE results. 0 is average.-0.29, worse than England--
A-level progressBelow average, worse than England--
Students at the end of 16 to 18 study101--
Average applied general gradeVocational qualifications, such as BTECs.Merit+--

Source: DfE, 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25, published 23 Apr 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils1,130
Girls540
Boys590
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.12.8%
First language not English8.1%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,100
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0%
Sixth form places2024/25215
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.124
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.43
Average class size23.4

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
54.7%
Other White
15%
African
6%
Irish
5.3%
Other Asian
4.2%
White and Asian
2.3%
Indian
2.2%
Other mixed
2%
White and Black Caribbean
1.9%
White and Black African
1.6%

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 teacher19
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.14.3
Teachers (FTE)59.48
Teaching assistants (FTE)10.83
Support staff (FTE)34.68
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2559.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2553.6
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/253.2
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253

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.174
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.501
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.188
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.153
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)18

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 schoolHertfordshireEngland
Overall absence6.9%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire7.4%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.17%, better than England, similar to Hertfordshire18.5%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.7%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire2.9%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 rate6.6%
Pupils with one or more suspensions4.3%
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.95.4%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.93.7%
School sixth form54.6%
Further education35.6%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.2.9%
Sixth form college2.3%
Apprenticeship1.7%
Employment0%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Destinations after A-levels

2023/24

Where students went after 16 to 18 study, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.90.6%
Higher education60.4%
Employment23.6%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.6.6%
Apprenticeship4.7%
Further education0.9%

Source: DfE, 16 to 18 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 Saint Michael's Catholic High School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.2 miPrimarySt Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.3 miSecondaryFuture Academies WatfordAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.3 miSecondaryParmiter's SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.4 miPrimaryCoates Way JMI and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.5 miPrimaryMount Pleasant Lane Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.6 miPrimaryAlban Wood Primary School and NurseryAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miNot applicableStanborough Primary SchoolOther independent school
Good
1.0 miNurseryKingswood Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Outstanding
1.0 miNot applicableStanborough Secondary SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
1.1 miPrimaryLeavesden JMI SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Saint Michael's Catholic High School

What is Saint Michael's Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?

Saint Michael's Catholic High School is rated Good, last inspected on 4 Feb 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Saint Michael's Catholic High School rank in England?

Saint Michael's Catholic High School ranks 1,169 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 64% of schools) and 1,049 of 2,536 schools in England for A-level 2024/25 (similar to most schools).

What are Saint Michael's Catholic High School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 43.3% of pupils at Saint Michael's Catholic High School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 48.8 (England 46.2).

What are Saint Michael's Catholic High School's A-level results?

In 2024/25, the average A-level grade at Saint Michael's Catholic High School was B-, and 9.4% of students got AAB or better (England 17.5%).

How hard is it to get into Saint Michael's Catholic High School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Saint Michael's Catholic High School made 174 offers from 501 applications (2.9 per offer), and 153 of 188 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Saint Michael's Catholic High School?

Saint Michael's Catholic High School has 1,130 pupils aged 11 to 18.

What is the capacity of Saint Michael's Catholic High School?

Saint Michael's Catholic High School had 1,100 school places in 2024/25.

Does Saint Michael's Catholic High School have a sixth form?

Yes, Saint Michael's Catholic High School has a sixth form with 215 places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Saint Michael's Catholic High School?

At Saint Michael's Catholic High School, the average class had 23.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 19 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Saint Michael's Catholic High School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Saint Michael's Catholic High School missed 6.9% of sessions (England 8%), and 17% 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.