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St Edmund's Catholic School

Portsmouth, PO1 1RXSecondaryAges 11–16MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Outstanding
Jun 2022
Progress 8
+0.66
Well above average
−20+2
Competition
1.8×
Oversubscribed
436 1st-choice / 237 places
Ranking
🏆Top 25%
#321 of 3,141 nationally

About St Edmund's Catholic School

St Edmund's Catholic School sits at the very top of the Portsmouth secondary school rankings, ranked first out of eight schools in the local authority by Progress 8 score. That puts it well ahead of its nearest named peers — Trafalgar School, Ark Charter Academy, and Admiral Lord Nelson School — all of which have negative Progress 8 scores. The school is one of only three outstanding-rated secondaries in Portsmouth, and the nearest other outstanding school, Mayfield School, is 2.8 kilometres away. Headteacher Simon Graham leads a mixed, Roman Catholic state secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form on site. The school is significantly oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 678 applications for 237 places, with 436 of those as first preferences, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.86. That level of demand reflects its strong local reputation, and the school currently has 1,150 pupils on roll, exceeding its official capacity of 1,058.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 16 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterRoman Catholic
AddressArundel Street, Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 1RX
HeadteacherSimon Graham
Local AuthorityPortsmouth
Number of Pupils1,150
Free School Meals (FSM)27.2%
School Capacity1,150 / 1,058 (109% full)

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

16 Jun 2022
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Outstanding
Leadership & Management
Outstanding

Latest monitoring visit (16 Jun 2022): School remains Outstanding

Source: Ofsted, 29 Feb 2016. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

7
Sixth Form CentreSwimming PoolScience LabsTheatrePlaying FieldsAstro TurfChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

17

Sports

RoundersBadmintonAthleticsDanceCross CountryNetballRowingBasketball

Clubs & Activities

GardeningEco ClubBook ClubScience ClubArt ClubYoung EnterpriseDuke of EdinburghModel United NationsFilm Club

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

SEND Support

Resourced Provision
AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingVisionPhysicalLearning DifficultyResourced Provision

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

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Frequently Asked Questions About St Edmund's Catholic School

St Edmund's Catholic School has been rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted. This means the school provides an exceptional quality of education, and pupils thrive both academically and personally.