SCHOOL PROFILE

St Bede's Catholic High School

Secondary Voluntary aided school URN 119792
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 689 Published school capacity
Capacity used 102.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

12 November 2024
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 Lancashire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 709 709 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 365 51.5% of pupils
Male pupils 344 48.5% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

7.1%
17.7 pts below England
School 7.1%
West Lancashire 22.2%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

1.8%
18.5 pts below England
School 1.8%
West Lancashire 7.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
West Lancashire 0.3%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
92.9%
659
Indian
1.1%
8
White and Black Caribbean
1.1%
8
White and Asian
1.0%
7
Any other Mixed background
0.8%
6
Irish
0.8%
6
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 13.3% 94 of 709 pupils
7.6 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 13.3%
West Lancashire 21.8%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 10.6% 75 pupils
England 14.8% 4.2 pts below
EHC plans 2.7% 19 pupils
England 6.0% 3.4 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 31
Autistic spectrum disorder 21
Social, emotional & mental health 21
Speech, language & communication 4
Multi-sensory impairment 3
No specialist assessment yet 3

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

55.0 15.8 pts above England
School 55.0
West Lancashire 33.8
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 65.2% England 36.0% 29.2 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 85.1% England 51.4% 33.7 pts above England
EBacc entry 19.1% England 30.6% 11.5 pts below England
EBacc average point score 4.51 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.41 · 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

6.67%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.45 pts higher than England
School 6.67%
West Lancashire 6.62%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

14.74%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

1.07 pts lower than England
School 14.74%
West Lancashire 17.12%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.36%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.56 pts higher than England
School 2.36%
West Lancashire 1.89%
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

102.9% 10.6 pts above England
St Bede's Catholic High School
102.9%
West Lancashire
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