SCHOOL PROFILE

St Mary's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 143554
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,300 Published school capacity
Capacity used 82.5% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

27 January 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

4 October 2023
Graded inspection Requires improvement
Published 20 December 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Wirral
Trust HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,073 1,073 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 437 40.7% of pupils
Male pupils 636 59.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

45.9%
21.1 pts above England
School 45.9%
Wirral 32.1%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

4.0%
16.3 pts below England
School 4.0%
Wirral 7.3%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.9%
0.1 pts below England
School 0.9%
Wirral 0.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
91.6%
983
Any other White background
2.6%
28
Any other Mixed background
1.3%
14
African
0.7%
8
Any other ethnic group
0.7%
7
White and Black Caribbean
0.6%
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 27.3% 293 of 1,073 pupils
6.5 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 27.3%
Wirral 25.9%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 20.3% 218 pupils
England 14.8% 5.5 pts above
EHC plans 7.0% 75 pupils
England 6.0% 1.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 117
Specific learning difficulty 76
Autistic spectrum disorder 39
Speech, language & communication 35
Moderate learning difficulty 8
Physical disability 7

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

33.2 6.0 pts below England
School 33.2
Wirral 37.4
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 17.2% England 36.0% 18.8 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 34.8% England 51.4% 16.6 pts below England
EBacc entry 17.2% England 30.6% 13.4 pts below England
EBacc average point score 2.55 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.99 · 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

12.89%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

6.67 pts higher than England
School 12.89%
Wirral 7.24%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

37.58%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

21.77 pts higher than England
School 37.58%
Wirral 19.16%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

7.74%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

5.94 pts higher than England
School 7.74%
Wirral 2.02%
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

82.5% 9.8 pts below England
St Mary's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy
82.5%
Wirral
90.8%
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