Sacred Heart Catholic High School

About Sacred Heart Catholic High School

Sacred Heart Catholic High School is a girls’ secondary school in Newcastle upon Tyne that is heavily oversubscribed, a clear signal of its local reputation. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 610 applications for 253 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.41, with 342 of those applications listing it as a first preference. It currently has 1,392 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,405, so it is running very close to full. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 37.5%, which is significantly above the national average and reflects the school’s inclusive intake within the local authority. As a Roman Catholic school, it serves a specific faith community, though its admissions criteria will also consider other applicants. The school is one of only two in Newcastle upon Tyne rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and its headteacher is Suzanne Howell.

Academically, Sacred Heart performs well above the local authority average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.54 means pupils achieve nearly half a grade more per subject than similar students nationally, and this ranks it 3rd out of 11 schools in Newcastle upon Tyne and in the top 7% of schools in the North East region. The Attainment 8 score is 56.9, and 81.1% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. In the EBacc, 53.6% of pupils entered the full suite of subjects, with 41.4% achieving a grade 4 or above. At A-level, the average points per entry is 37.85, equivalent to a B- grade, and the best three A-levels average out at a B grade. The sixth form value-added score is -0.01, which is in line with expectations and banded as Average. The school’s Progress 8 score is well above the Newcastle upon Tyne LA average of -0.4.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, sports hall, astro turf, tennis courts, chapel, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports on offer include rugby, swimming, cricket, martial arts, football, and basketball, while clubs range from orchestra and choir to debate, chess, Model UN, and Young Enterprise. The school has a comprehensive SEND provision, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 92 parents in the 2024/25 period show strong satisfaction: 88% strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy, 92% felt their child is safe, and 90% agreed the school has high expectations. 89% would recommend the school. This is a good fit for families seeking a high-performing, oversubscribed Catholic girls’ school with strong academic outcomes and a wide range of extracurricular opportunities.

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