SCHOOL PROFILE

Our Lady's Catholic High School

Secondary Voluntary aided school URN 119779
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 900 Published school capacity
Capacity used 100.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

28 September 2022
Latest published outcome Good
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 Lancashire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 902 902 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 466 51.7% of pupils
Male pupils 436 48.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

17.8%
7.0 pts below England
School 17.8%
Preston 25.0%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

15.2%
5.1 pts below England
School 15.2%
Preston 31.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.2%
0.8 pts below England
School 0.2%
Preston 0.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
66.1%
596
Any other White background
8.4%
76
Indian
8.0%
72
Any other Asian background
3.4%
31
African
3.2%
29
Any other Mixed background
2.4%
22
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 12.6% 114 of 902 pupils
8.2 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 12.6%
Preston 18.7%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 10.3% 93 pupils
England 14.8% 4.5 pts below
EHC plans 2.3% 21 pupils
England 6.0% 3.7 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 20
Social, emotional & mental health 20
No specialist assessment yet 18
Moderate learning difficulty 17
Specific learning difficulty 15
Other difficulty or disability 12

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

50.0 10.8 pts above England
School 50.0
Preston 41.3
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 42.8% England 36.0% 6.8 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 71.1% England 51.4% 19.7 pts above England
EBacc entry 28.9% England 30.6% 1.7 pts below England
EBacc average point score 4.22 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.24 · 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

5.87%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.35 pts lower than England
School 5.87%
Preston 6.27%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

12.66%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.15 pts lower than England
School 12.66%
Preston 15.79%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.16%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.36 pts higher than England
School 2.16%
Preston 1.85%
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

100.2% 7.9 pts above England
Our Lady's Catholic High School
100.2%
Preston
93.5%
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