Thomas More Catholic School

About Thomas More Catholic School

Thomas More Catholic School’s Progress 8 score of -0.13 sits below the Croydon local authority average of -0.04 for secondary schools, placing it 16th out of 26 schools in the borough. That puts it in the bottom half of Croydon’s state secondaries, though the gap is modest — roughly one-tenth of a grade per subject less than the typical pupil in the area. The school’s Attainment 8 score of 42.5 means the average student leaves with just under a grade 5 per subject, which is slightly below the national benchmark. Where the school does stand out is in its EBacc entry rate: 49.1% of pupils take the full suite of English, maths, sciences, a language and humanities, well above the national average. However, only 16.7% achieve a grade 5 or above in those subjects, suggesting the challenge is in converting breadth into strong outcomes. The school’s ranking in the bottom 50 nationally by Progress 8 is a clear signal that academic performance is an area of focus.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2019, Ofsted rated the school Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. That was a significant improvement from the previous inspection in 2016, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. A follow-up ungraded inspection in October 2024 confirmed that standards have been maintained. The sixth form, however, was rated Requires Improvement in that 2019 inspection, and the data bears this out: A-level students achieved an average grade of D- per entry, with a value-added score of -0.25, meaning they made less progress than similar students nationally. The sixth form is small, with just 24 pupils, which can limit subject choice. At KS4, the school’s Progress 8 banding is rated Average, and the confidence interval (-0.41 to 0.15) suggests the true picture could be either slightly worse or slightly better than the headline figure.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 113 places in 2025/26, it received 345 applications, a ratio of 3.05 applicants per place, and only 45 first-preference offers were made. That reflects strong local demand despite the middling academic metrics. Facilities are decent for a state school, including a swimming pool, astro turf, sports hall, chapel and a sixth form centre. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, from dyslexia and autism to speech and language difficulties, though the Parent View survey had no responses from parents of SEND children, so it’s hard to gauge how well that support works in practice. Among the 18 parents who did respond, 67% would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreed their child is happy and feels safe. However, only 28% agreed that concerns are dealt with properly, and 39% disagreed that the school keeps them informed about what their child will learn. This is a school that suits families who value its Catholic ethos, broad extracurricular offer — including DofE, Model UN and Young Enterprise — and who are comfortable with a results profile that sits below the LA average.

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