St Boniface's RC College

About St Boniface's RC College

St Boniface's RC College is a boys' secondary school in Plymouth that is running very close to capacity, with 392 pupils on roll against a published capacity of 400. The school serves a community with a notably high level of disadvantage: 33.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Demand for places is strong — for entry in 2025/26, the school received 125 applications for 72 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.74. Of those, 63 were first-preference applications, and 62 first-preference offers were made, suggesting that while the school is popular locally, nearly all first-choice families secured a place. The school is a Roman Catholic state school for boys aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form provision on site despite having a Sixth Form Centre listed among its facilities. Headteacher Michael Antram leads a school that, in its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2025, was not given an overall effectiveness grade but saw improvements in several areas compared with its previous inspection in 2023.

Academically, the school's results place it in the bottom half of schools nationally. Its Progress 8 score for 2023/24 was -0.28, meaning pupils achieved nearly a third of a grade less per subject than the national average, and significantly below the Plymouth local authority average of -0.04. Within Plymouth, the school ranks 14th out of 18 schools on this measure. Attainment 8 stood at 40.1, and the proportion of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths was 28.8%, compared with 57.6% at grade 4 or above. The EBacc average point score was 3.33, with only 7.6% of pupils entering the EBacc combination and 10.6% entering the full EBacc suite. Progress in English was notably weaker than in maths, with scores of -0.47 and -0.20 respectively. The school's Ofsted report from April 2025 rated behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management all as Good, while quality of education remains Requires Improvement — a split that suggests the school is making headway in culture and leadership but still working on academic delivery.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including an astro turf, tennis courts, art studios, ICT suites, and a chapel. Sports provision covers rugby, hockey, cricket, rowing, and martial arts, while clubs include coding, debate, orchestra, and Young Enterprise. SEND support is available for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. Parent feedback is generally positive: 89% of respondents would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, feels safe, and that the school has high expectations. However, a notable 24% of parents disagreed that the school makes them aware of what their child will learn, and 15% disagreed that pupils are well behaved. This is a school that suits families who value a faith-based, single-sex environment and are comfortable with a school that is still working through an Ofsted improvement journey, but where parents report strong pastoral care and a clear sense of community.

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