Classpot

St Columba's Catholic Boys' School

Bexley, DA6 7QBSecondaryAges 11–16BoysState
Ofsted Rating
Good
Nov 2024
Progress 8
+0.04
Above average
−20+2
Competition
0.6×
Not oversubscribed
77 1st-choice / 135 places
Ranking
#1,426
of 3,141 nationally

About St Columba's Catholic Boys' School

St Columba's Catholic Boys' School sits in the Bexley local authority, a London borough with 17 state secondary schools. Among them, it ranks 7th by Progress 8, placing it in the top half of the local field. The three highest-performing schools in the area are all grammar schools: Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, St Catherine's Catholic School, and Townley Grammar School. As a non-selective Catholic boys' school for ages 11 to 16, St Columba's occupies a distinct niche. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in November 2024, confirmed that standards are maintained, and the school retains its Good rating. The previous graded inspection, in September 2014, also rated the school Good overall, with leadership and management judged Good. The school is oversubscribed: for 135 places in 2025/26, it received 270 applications, with 77 first-preference offers. That 2:1 ratio suggests strong local demand from families who value its Catholic character and single-sex environment.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 16 years
GenderBoys
Religious CharacterRoman Catholic
AddressHalcot Avenue, Bexleyheath, Bexley, DA6 7QB
HeadteacherDave Evans
Local AuthorityBexley
Number of Pupils809
Free School Meals (FSM)21.7%
School Capacity809 / 900 (90% full)

The full report on this school

What 80 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, 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
See an example
One-off paymentNo subscriptionStripe checkout

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

27 Nov 2024
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Leadership & Management
Good

Latest monitoring visit (27 Nov 2024): Standards maintained

Source: Ofsted, 28 Oct 2014. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

7
Swimming PoolSports HallMusic RoomsTheatreSixth Form CentreScience LabsChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

13

Sports

BasketballNetballRowingCross CountryHockeyDanceFootball

Clubs & Activities

OrchestraChoirDuke of EdinburghArt ClubBook ClubGardening

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

SEND Support

Resourced Provision
AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageVisionResourced ProvisionOther

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

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

08:30 – 15:00

Source: st-columbas.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

Was this page helpful?

Frequently Asked Questions About St Columba's Catholic Boys' School

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