Saint John Bosco College

About Saint John Bosco College

Saint John Bosco College holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained since its most recent graded inspection in 2013 and confirmed as unchanged in an ungraded inspection in October 2022. The school’s Progress 8 score, the key measure of how much pupils improve between the end of primary school and GCSEs, sits at 0.17. This is a positive score, meaning students on average achieve just under a fifth of a grade more per subject than pupils nationally with similar starting points. However, it is notably below the Wandsworth local authority average of 0.55, placing the school 11th out of 11 state secondaries in the borough on this metric. Nationally, the school ranks in the 36th percentile, meaning around two-thirds of schools achieve a stronger Progress 8 score. The picture is mixed across subject areas: progress in English is solid at 0.15, while in maths it dips to -0.18, indicating students fall slightly behind expectations.

At GCSE level, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 44, and just over half of pupils (51.5%) achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The proportion of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects is low at 20.6%, and only 9.6% achieved it at grade 5 or above. In the sixth form, outcomes are weaker: the value added score is -0.33, placing the school in the ‘Below average’ progress banding. The average points per entry are 26.16, equivalent to a C- grade, and the best three A-levels average out at a D+. With 69 pupils in the sixth form, it is a relatively small cohort, and the school’s AAB rate at A-level is 7.9%.

Saint John Bosco is a Roman Catholic secondary for pupils aged 11 to 18, with a current roll of 828 against a capacity of 1,050. It is heavily oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, there were 262 applications for 132 places, a ratio of nearly 2:1, with 89 first-preference offers made. Over half of pupils (51%) are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, reflecting the school’s inner-city Wandsworth context. Facilities include a swimming pool, chapel, sixth form centre, and extensive sports provision including rowing and gymnastics. The school has a dedicated SEN unit and resourced provision, supporting needs from dyslexia and autism to speech and language difficulties. For families prioritising strong academic progress, particularly in maths, the data suggests looking closely at the school’s specific subject support, but for those seeking a faith-based community with broad extracurricular opportunities and a genuinely inclusive intake, Saint John Bosco offers a distinctive option.

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