St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School

About St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School

Ofsted inspectors gave St Peter’s Catholic Comprehensive School a Good rating across all categories in its most recent inspection in 2023, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. That judgement is backed up by strong parent sentiment: in the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 455 applications for 171 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.66, meaning nearly three families applied for every spot. Of those, 179 put St Peter’s as their first preference, and 163 of those families were offered a place. That level of demand suggests a school that local parents trust and actively choose. The school is a Roman Catholic comprehensive for pupils aged 4 to 18, with a current roll of 1,943 pupils — well above its official capacity of 1,650. Headteacher Benedict Doyle leads a mixed, state-funded secondary that also includes a sixth form, and the school serves the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area.

Academically, St Peter’s sits in the middle of the pack locally. Its Progress 8 score of 0.15 is just below the local authority average of 0.17, placing it 11th out of 21 secondary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Nationally, that puts it in the 39th percentile among 3,141 schools, which is a solid, if not standout, result. At KS4, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 49, and 74.9% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate is 26.4%, with 20.9% achieving the full EBacc at grade 4 or above. At A-level, the picture is more mixed: the school’s value-added score is -0.12, which is rated as below average, and the average points per entry is 32.03, equivalent to a C+ grade. The best three A-levels average out at a C+ as well, with 4.4% of entries achieving AAB or higher.

The school is well equipped for a large comprehensive, with facilities including a theatre, chapel, sixth form centre, astro turf, tennis courts, and music rooms. Sports on offer range from rugby and hockey to martial arts and swimming, and there is a broad programme of clubs including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model UN, and Young Enterprise. St Peter’s also publishes a wide range of SEND provisions, covering areas such as autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. With an oversubscription ratio of 2.66, families need to apply early and be aware of the school’s Catholic admissions criteria. It is a good fit for families who want a large, faith-based secondary with a strong sense of community, decent GCSE outcomes, and a sixth form that offers a broad curriculum, even if A-level results are more modest.

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