Classpot

St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury

Canterbury, CT1 3ENSecondaryAges 11–18MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Good
Sep 2023
Progress 8
-0.02
Below average
−20+2
Competition
1.3×
Oversubscribed
218 1st-choice / 167 places
Ranking
#1,567
of 3,141 nationally

About St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury

St Anselm's Catholic School in Canterbury is a heavily oversubscribed secondary, and it's easy to see why local families are keen to secure a place. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 825 applications for just 167 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 4.94. Of those, 218 families put it as their first preference, and 146 of those were successful. While the school doesn't publish a parent recommendation percentage, the sheer volume of applications suggests strong local confidence. The school is a Roman Catholic state secondary for mixed genders aged 11 to 18, with a current roll of 1107 pupils, slightly above its official capacity of 1071. It was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a rating it has held consistently across both its 2014 and 2023 inspections, with every inspected category — including behaviour, personal development, and leadership — also judged Good.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 18 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterRoman Catholic
AddressOld Dover Road, Canterbury, Canterbury, CT1 3EN
HeadteacherJ Rowarth
Local AuthorityKent
Number of Pupils1,107
Free School Meals (FSM)22.8%
School Capacity1,107 / 1,071 (103% full)
Sixth FormYes

The full report on this school

The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
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Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

12 Sept 2023
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
Sixth Form Provision
Good

Source: Ofsted, 11 Oct 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

11
LibraryArt StudiosSwimming PoolGymnasiumMusic RoomsPlaying FieldsTennis CourtsSports HallSixth Form CentreAstro TurfChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

21

Sports

HockeySwimmingCricketTennisBadmintonRugbyAthleticsCross CountryFootball

Clubs & Activities

DramaChessCodingEco ClubDebateChoirNewspaperOrchestraGardeningArt ClubDuke of EdinburghModel United Nations

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

SEND Support

Resourced Provision
DyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguagePhysicalLearning DifficultyResourced ProvisionOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

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Frequently Asked Questions About St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury

St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.