School profile

St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy

Secondary · Academy converter · Buxton, SK17 6AF

Good

Map showing St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,319 of 3,312

Worse than 69% of schools in England

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

St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 3 Jun 2025

Area360 rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages11 to 16
Pupils407
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr David Redfern
TrustST RALPH SHERWIN CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Local authorityDerbyshire
Opened01 Sept 2018
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 146128.

GCSE results

2025/26

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

MeasureThis schoolDerbyshireEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.42.1, worse than England, worse than Derbyshire45.246.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.60.2%, worse than England, worse than Derbyshire64.8%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.38.6%, worse than England, worse than Derbyshire44.5%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.10.2%, worse than England, similar to Derbyshire10.4%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths51.1%, worse than England, worse than Derbyshire59.8%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 488--

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 pupils407
Girls205
Boys202
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.33.4%
First language not English6.9%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.450
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.9.6%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.85
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.19
Average class size25.4

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
88.5%
Other White
2.7%
African
2.5%
White and Asian
2.2%
Irish
1.2%
Other mixed
1%
Indian
0.7%
White and Black African
0.2%
Pakistani
0.2%
Other Asian
0.2%

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 teacher20.9
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.13.7
Teachers (FTE)19.47
Teaching assistants (FTE)6.62
Support staff (FTE)17.92
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2522.1
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2517.7
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253.4

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.87
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.176
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.86
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.86
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 schoolDerbyshireEngland
Overall absence8.7%, worse than England, worse than Derbyshire8.1%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.23.2%, similar to England, worse than Derbyshire20.3%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.4.9%, worse than England, worse than Derbyshire3.7%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 rate8.8%
Pupils with one or more suspensions4.5%
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.91.1%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.80%
Sixth form college34.4%
Further education32.2%
School sixth form12.2%
Employment6.7%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.5.6%
Apprenticeship4.4%

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 Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimarySt Anne's Catholic Voluntary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimaryBuxton Infant SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.6 miPrimaryFairfield Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimarySt Peter's Church of England (VC) Junior SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryBuxton Junior SchoolAcademy converter
Unrated
0.9 miSecondaryBuxton Community SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miPrimaryBurbage Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.3 miPrimaryHarpur Hill Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Unrated

Frequently asked questions about St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy

What is St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy is rated Good, last inspected on 3 Jun 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy rank in England?

St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy ranks 2,319 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 69% of schools).

What are St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 38.6% of pupils at St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 42.1 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy made 87 offers from 176 applications (2 per offer), and 86 of 86 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy?

St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy has 407 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy?

St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy had 450 school places in 2024/25.

Does St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy have a sixth form?

No, St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy?

At St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy, the average class had 25.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 20.9 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy missed 8.7% of sessions (England 8%), and 23.2% 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.