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St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham

County Durham, DH1 4NGSecondaryAges 11–18MixedState
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted inspected
5 Good
Oct 2024
Progress 8
+0.64
Well above average
−20+2
Competition
0.9×
Not oversubscribed
176 1st-choice / 192 places
Ranking
🏆Top 25%
#342 of 3,141 nationally

About St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham

St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham is a mixed state secondary that is essentially full, with 1,260 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,265. The school serves a community where 13.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average for secondary schools. Demand is high: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 481 applications for 192 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.51, and all 176 first-preference applicants were offered a place. The school is Roman Catholic by religious character, which may shape its intake, though the data does not specify faith-based admissions criteria. Headteacher Christopher Hammill leads a school that has seen a remarkable turnaround in its most recent Ofsted inspection: in October 2024, inspectors awarded Outstanding across all five graded categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. This is a significant improvement from its previous inspection in January 2022, when the school was rated Requires Improvement overall.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 18 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterRoman Catholic
AddressNorth End, Durham, County Durham, DH1 4NG
HeadteacherChristopher Hammill
Local AuthorityCounty Durham
Number of Pupils1,260
Free School Meals (FSM)13.5%
School Capacity1,260 / 1,265 (100% full)
Sixth FormYes

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

8 Oct 2024
View Report
Quality of Education
Outstanding
Behaviour & Attitudes
Outstanding
Personal Development
Outstanding
Leadership & Management
Outstanding
Sixth Form Provision
Outstanding

From September 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade in inspections of state-funded schools.

Source: Ofsted, 17 Nov 2024. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

11
Music RoomsDining HallGymnasiumSwimming PoolSixth Form CentreAstro TurfPlaying FieldsSports HallICT SuiteScience LabsChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

16

Sports

SwimmingTennisCricketMartial ArtsDanceRugbyHockeyGymnasticsCross Country

Clubs & Activities

Eco ClubGardeningDramaFilm ClubNewspaperChoirModel United Nations

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

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingPhysicalLearning DifficultySevere LearningOther

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

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

08:50 – 15:20

Source: stleonardsdurham.bwcet.com. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

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Frequently Asked Questions About St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham

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