Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy

About Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy

Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy is a mixed 11-16 secondary in Erewash, Derbyshire, and it’s a school that families clearly want to get into. With 678 pupils on roll against a capacity of 606, it’s operating above its official limit, and the oversubscription picture is striking: for 101 places in the 2025/26 intake, the school received 251 applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.49. Of those, 99 were first-preference offers, meaning nearly every place went to a family who had it top of their list. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals sits at 25.2%, which is notably above the national average for secondary schools and suggests a genuinely mixed intake in terms of disadvantage. The school is Roman Catholic by religious character, and while the data doesn’t tell us how that shapes admissions criteria, the demand alone signals a strong local reputation.

Academically, Saint John Houghton is performing well above the local average. Its Progress 8 score of +0.21 places it comfortably in positive territory, meaning pupils here make around a fifth of a grade more progress per subject than the national average. That’s a strong contrast with the Derbyshire local authority average of -0.11. Within Erewash, the school ranks 2nd out of 6 schools on Progress 8, and nationally it sits in the top third of all schools. The Attainment 8 score of 47.8 is solid, and 50% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate is 50.8%, with 22% achieving the full EBacc at grade 5 or above. Ofsted rated the school Good overall in its most recent graded inspection, with leadership and management also judged Good. That’s an improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating, and an ungraded inspection in 2025 confirmed standards are being maintained.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, chapel, and extensive sports provision from rowing to hockey. It has a dedicated Sixth Form Centre, though the school itself doesn’t run a sixth form. SEND support covers ten categories, from dyslexia to autistic spectrum disorder, but parent views on this are notably mixed: in the most recent Parent View survey, 59% of respondents strongly disagreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need, though only 35% of respondents said their child has SEND. Overall, 67% of parents would recommend the school. With high demand, strong academic value-add, and a Catholic character, this school suits families who want a community-focused secondary with proven results and a wide extracurricular offer, but those with SEND children may want to investigate support arrangements closely.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy

Helpful Guides for Parents