Cardinal Allen Catholic High School, Fleetwood
98%
Capacity
783
Pupils
2.3x
Demand
About Cardinal Allen Catholic High School, Fleetwood
Parents considering Cardinal Allen Catholic High School in Fleetwood will find a school that is clearly popular locally. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 358 applications for 159 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.25, meaning more than two families applied for every available spot. Of those, 133 offers went to first-preference applicants out of 134 who named the school first, suggesting that almost every family who put it top of their list secured a place. While the school does not publish a parent satisfaction survey, this level of demand is a strong signal of confidence from local families. The school is a Roman Catholic secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form, and is led by headteacher Andrew Cafferkey. It currently has 783 pupils on roll against a capacity of 800, so it is running very close to full.
Academically, Cardinal Allen’s most recent data from the 2023/24 academic year shows a Progress 8 score of -0.42, which is below the national average and also below the Lancashire local authority average of -0.11. The school ranks 60th out of 90 similar schools in the county. In the Wyre local authority area, it sits 4th out of 7 schools on the same measure. The Attainment 8 score is 41.5, and 56.5% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, though only 34% reached the stronger grade 5 benchmark. The EBacc average point score is 3.44, with just 15.6% of pupils entered for the full EBacc combination. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, the school was rated Good overall, with leadership and management judged Outstanding. The previous graded inspection in 2015 also rated it Good, and the 2022 ungraded inspection confirmed the school remains Good.
The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, sports hall, tennis courts, astro turf, gymnasium and a chapel. There is a strong extracurricular programme with clubs covering chess, debate, science, gardening, book club, newspaper, Young Enterprise, eco club and orchestra, plus sports such as cross country, swimming, netball, cricket, rounders and dance. The school has a comprehensive SEND offer, with provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 28% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage. This is a faith-based school that is heavily oversubscribed, so families who share the Catholic ethos and apply early stand the best chance of securing a place.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 16 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Melbourne Avenue, Fleetwood, Wyre, FY7 8AY |
| Headteacher | Andrew Cafferkey |
| Local Authority | Lancashire |
| Number of Pupils | 783 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 28.0% |
| School Capacity | 783 / 800 (98% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
2 Feb 2022Overall Effectiveness
Good
Latest inspection (2 Feb 2022): School remains Good
Source: Ofsted, 15 Jun 2015. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (-0.42)
2491st of 3,141
Nationally
312th of 445
In North West
4th of 7
In Wyre
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make less progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/232%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 157 pupils).
- FE college40%
- Sixth form college36%
- Not sustained10%
- Employment9%
- Apprenticeship3%
- School sixth form (stay)2%
90% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
8Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
15Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed159
358
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
134 families put this school as their 1st choice (37% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
School day
Teaching hours
08:45 – 14:50
Source: cardinalallen.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Above the national average (25%) — higher-disadvantage intake.
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British89.3%
- White (other)3.4%
- Asian2.5%
- Mixed2.4%
- Black0.1%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
Half of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
5
Total schools
5
Oversubscribed
3
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Cardinal Allen Catholic High School, Fleetwood
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Melbourne Avenue, Fleetwood
Wyre, FY7 8AY
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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