SCHOOL PROFILE

Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College

Secondary Voluntary aided school URN 106376
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,700 Published school capacity
Capacity used 96.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

18 March 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Voluntary aided school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Trafford
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,638 1,638 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 812 49.6% of pupils
Male pupils 826 50.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

12.9%
11.9 pts below England
School 12.9%
Trafford 16.9%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

10.6%
9.7 pts below England
School 10.6%
Trafford 23.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

4.7%
3.7 pts above England
School 4.7%
Trafford 0.8%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
67.8%
1,111
Any other White background
7.3%
120
Indian
5.4%
88
African
3.4%
55
Irish
2.6%
43
White and Black Caribbean
2.6%
42
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 22.2% 364 of 1,638 pupils
1.4 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 22.2%
Trafford 17.7%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 18.4% 302 pupils
England 14.8% 3.7 pts above
EHC plans 3.8% 62 pupils
England 6.0% 2.2 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 96
Social, emotional & mental health 89
Moderate learning difficulty 37
Autistic spectrum disorder 36
Speech, language & communication 36
Other difficulty or disability 25

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

48.9 9.7 pts above England
School 48.9
Trafford 51.3
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 42.1% England 36.0% 6.1 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 66.3% England 51.4% 14.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 9.6% England 30.6% 21.0 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.79 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.23 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.83%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.61 pts higher than England
School 7.83%
Trafford 5.62%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

21.65%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

5.83 pts higher than England
School 21.65%
Trafford 13.07%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.01%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.20 pts higher than England
School 2.01%
Trafford 1.46%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

96.4% 4.0 pts above England
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College
96.4%
Trafford
98.8%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information