St Paul's Catholic School

About St Paul's Catholic School

St Paul’s Catholic School is a state secondary in Milton Keynes that is significantly oversubscribed, and the numbers explain why. The school has 1,886 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,050, meaning it is operating well above its official limit. For the 2025/26 admissions cycle, there were 590 applications for 178 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.31. Of those, 249 families put it as their first preference, and 174 first-preference offers were made. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 8.4%, which is below the national average for secondary schools and suggests a relatively advantaged intake. The school is Roman Catholic in character, though the data does not specify whether faith criteria are used in admissions. It is one of only three schools in Milton Keynes rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and it ranks first out of 12 secondary schools in the local authority on Progress 8.

Academically, St Paul’s is a high-performing school. Its Progress 8 score of 0.53 is well above average nationally, and significantly above the Milton Keynes local authority average of -0.21. In the South East region, it ranks 79th out of 461 schools on this measure, placing it in the top 17% regionally and the top 15% nationally. The Attainment 8 score is 56.8, and 85.4% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, with 66.3% reaching grade 5 or above. The EBacc average point score is 5.32, and 76.4% of pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school received Outstanding in every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. At A-level, the school’s value-added score is -0.03, which is classed as average, with pupils achieving an average of 35.17 points per entry, equivalent to a B- grade.

The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, theatre, chapel, astro turf, tennis courts, art studios, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports on offer include cricket, rugby, football, basketball, badminton, and dance, while clubs range from choir and orchestra to Model UN, eco club, and gardening. The school has a comprehensive SEND provision, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, and social, emotional and mental health needs. For families considering St Paul’s, the key takeaway is that it is extremely popular and oversubscribed, so early application is essential. It suits families who value strong academic outcomes, a faith-based environment, and a school that performs well above the local average across nearly every measure.

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