St Mary's Catholic High School

About St Mary's Catholic High School

St Mary's Catholic High School sits exactly on the Lancashire local authority average for Progress 8, with a score of -0.11, meaning pupils here make broadly the same academic progress as their peers across the county. That places it 36th out of 90 secondary schools in Lancashire, a solidly middle-of-the-pack position. Its Attainment 8 score of 42.5 gives a useful snapshot of overall GCSE performance, and 57% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, with 33.1% reaching the higher grade 5 benchmark. The school's EBacc entry rate is 23.2%, and 11.9% of pupils entered the full EBacc combination of subjects. In the South Ribble local area specifically, St Mary's ranks 7th out of 11 schools on Progress 8, which puts it in the bottom half of its immediate neighbours. Nationally, it sits around the 57th percentile, so while it's not pulling up trees, it's also not falling behind — a dependable, average performer that reflects the LA norm.

The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in June 2025, confirmed that standards are being maintained at Good, and leadership and management were also judged Good. That's a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2016, when the school was rated Inadequate overall. The turnaround is significant, and the current Good rating has been held across both the graded and ungraded inspections since. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 92% of the 112 respondents would recommend the school, and 87% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy here. On safety, 90% felt their child is safe, and 86% agreed the school has high expectations. The SEND provision question drew a more mixed response, with 75% agreeing support is adequate but 15% strongly disagreeing — worth noting for families with children who have additional needs.

St Mary's is a Roman Catholic secondary for 11 to 16 year olds, with no sixth form, and it's heavily oversubscribed: for 162 places in 2025/26, there were 478 applications, a ratio of nearly 3 to 1. Of those, 209 were first preferences, and 155 offers went to first-preference applicants. The school serves 817 pupils against a capacity of 830, and 20.8% qualify for free school meals, slightly above the national average. Facilities are strong for a state school, including a swimming pool, theatre, chapel, astro turf, tennis courts, and science labs. There's a wide range of clubs — from coding and Young Enterprise to gardening and film club — and sports include rowing, rugby, and gymnastics. SEND provision covers ten categories, including autism, dyslexia, and speech and language needs. This is a school that suits families looking for a faith-based, community-focused secondary with solid but not outstanding results, and where the school is in high demand locally.

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