Saint Pius X Catholic High School A Specialist School in Humanities

About Saint Pius X Catholic High School A Specialist School in Humanities

Saint Pius X Catholic High School in Rotherham holds a Requires Improvement rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, a grade it has now received across two consecutive inspections. The school’s Progress 8 score of -0.34 is the most telling academic metric, placing it below the national average and behind the Rotherham local authority average of -0.15. This means that, on average, pupils achieved nearly a third of a grade less per subject than students with similar starting points nationally. The school ranks 13th out of 16 secondary schools in the local authority on this measure, putting it in the bottom quarter of Rotherham schools. Ofsted’s breakdown shows that while behaviour and attitudes, and personal development, were both rated Good, the quality of education and leadership and management remain Requires Improvement. The school does not have a sixth form, so all pupils leave at 16.

Looking deeper into the 2023/24 exam results, the Attainment 8 score sits at 44.1, and the basics measure — the percentage of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs — is 45.8 per cent. The EBacc average point score is 3.82, and only 9.3 per cent of pupils entered the full EBacc combination. Progress in maths (-0.06) is notably stronger than in English (-0.5), suggesting a particular challenge in literacy outcomes. The school’s Progress 8 banding is classified as ‘Below average’, and nationally it ranks 2,323 out of 3,141 schools. In the Yorkshire and the Humber region, it sits at 212 out of 306. These figures paint a picture of a school where academic outcomes are a clear area for development, especially when compared with top-performing local peers like Wingfield Academy, which has a Progress 8 score of 0.42.

On the practical side, Saint Pius X is a Roman Catholic secondary for boys and girls aged 11 to 16, and it is oversubscribed: for 129 places in 2025/26, it received 242 applications, with 105 first-preference offers made. The school offers a range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, chapel, and science labs, and runs clubs such as Young Enterprise, coding, and debate. Sports on offer include netball, rugby, and gymnastics. The school has a broad SEND offer, with provisions for autistic spectrum disorder, dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, and social, emotional and mental health needs. This is a school that may suit families who prioritise a faith-based environment and are comfortable with a setting that is actively working on improving academic outcomes, particularly in English, while maintaining good behaviour and personal development standards.

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