School profile

Saint Paul's Catholic High School

Secondary · Academy converter · Manchester, M23 2YS

Requires improvement

Map showing Saint Paul's Catholic High School

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,855 of 3,312

Worse than 86% of schools in England

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

Saint Paul's Catholic High School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 14 Jul 2026

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages11 to 16
Pupils933
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Mike Whiteside
TrustCORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
Local authorityManchester
Opened01 Apr 2013
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 139456.

GCSE results

2025/26

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

MeasureThis schoolManchesterEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.38.4, worse than England, worse than Manchester45.646.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.52.7%, worse than England, worse than Manchester62.3%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.35.3%, worse than England, worse than Manchester44.9%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.7.1%, worse than England, worse than Manchester13.2%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths48.9%, worse than England, worse than Manchester58.7%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4184--

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 pupils933
Girls467
Boys466
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.53.7%
First language not English18.2%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,056
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.11.6%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.200
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.104
Average class size21.4

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
63.3%
Other White
9.4%
African
7%
White and Black Caribbean
4.3%
Other mixed
3.5%
Indian
3.1%
White and Black African
2.1%
Other Black
1.6%
Other ethnic group
1.2%
White and Asian
1.1%

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 teacher15.2
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.8
Teachers (FTE)61.2
Teaching assistants (FTE)23.48
Support staff (FTE)50.06
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2557.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2553
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253.8

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.165
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.548
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.300
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.157
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 schoolManchesterEngland
Overall absence7.5%, similar to England, similar to Manchester7.5%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.21.4%, similar to England, similar to Manchester20.2%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.3%, better than England, similar to Manchester3.4%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 rate20.7%
Pupils with one or more suspensions9%
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 destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.75.7%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.69.9%
Further education44.5%
Sixth form college23.1%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.15%
Apprenticeship2.9%
Employment2.9%
School sixth form1.7%

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 Saint Paul's Catholic High School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimarySt Peter's Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.2 miPrimaryNewall Green Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miSecondaryManchester Enterprise AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Inadequate
0.4 miSecondaryDixons Newall Green AcademyFree schools
Good
0.6 miPrimaryHaveley Hey Community SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
0.8 miPrimaryBenchill Primary SchoolFoundation school
Requires improvement
0.8 miPrimaryBaguley Hall Primary SchoolFoundation school
Good
0.8 miPrimarySs John Fisher and Thomas More Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimaryThe Willows Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.0 miPrimarySacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Saint Paul's Catholic High School

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

Saint Paul's Catholic High School is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 14 Jul 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

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

Saint Paul's Catholic High School ranks 2,855 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 86% of schools).

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

In 2025/26, 35.3% of pupils at Saint Paul's Catholic High School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 38.4 (England 46.2).

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

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Saint Paul's Catholic High School made 165 offers from 548 applications (3.3 per offer), and 157 of 300 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

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

Saint Paul's Catholic High School has 933 pupils aged 11 to 16.

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

Saint Paul's Catholic High School had 1,056 school places in 2024/25.

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

No, Saint Paul's Catholic High School teaches pupils up to age 16.

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

At Saint Paul's Catholic High School, the average class had 21.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 15.2 pupils per teacher.

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

In 2025/26, pupils at Saint Paul's Catholic High School missed 7.5% of sessions (England 8%), and 21.4% 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.