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St Mary's Catholic High School

Secondary · Leyland · PR25 1BS

Data updated

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Good (2016)

Last grade Ofsted published, no newer grade exists

Ofsted graded this school Good in 2016. Every inspection since has been ungraded, and an ungraded inspection cannot change a grade. The most recent found “Standards maintained”. Ofsted's current data file lists only graded inspections from September 2019 onwards, so this grade has dropped out of it, but it is still the school's grade of record, and still on Ofsted's own report page. It is old, so weigh it against the more recent evidence on this page.

Inspected 21 June 2016

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

813 pupils · 98% of 830 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Voluntary aided school
Age range
11–16
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
21.2% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
3.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
21.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
http://lsmchs.com/
URN
119816

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 199 families named it first for 160 Year 7 places, 1.24 first choices per place. Its last Year 7 place offered on distance for 2026 entry went to 0.1 miles, the only Year 7 round we hold for it. The last grade Ofsted published for it is Good, from 2016. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 7% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.24 first-choice applications per place

160 places offered · 199 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places by distance, last offered at 0.1 miles for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Last child offered a place under the distance criterion (2026 entry) lived within 0.1 miles

measured in a straight line.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

160 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
45
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
65.6%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
43.8%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
3.6
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school45
Median of its 12 closest peers44.4
Lancashire average46
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
The King David High SchoolManchester · 22 miles awayStrong standard55.4
Callington Community CollegeCallington · 230 miles awayGood44
The Henry Cort Community CollegeFareham · 205 miles awayNeeds attention44.2
The Wilnecote SchoolTamworth · 86 miles awayGood38.7
The Dorcan AcademySwindon · 152 miles awayExpected standard44.3
Newent Community School and Sixth Form CentreNewent · 122 miles awayNeeds attention41.5
Westfield AcademyYeovil · 189 miles awayGood44.5
Whitworth Community High SchoolROCHDALE · 22 miles awayGood50.3
Budehaven Community SchoolBude · 212 miles awayGood45.4
The Dormston SchoolDudley · 83 miles awayGood42.1
Birkdale High SchoolSouthport · 14 miles awayExpected standard51.9
The Roundhill AcademyLeicester · 96 miles awayRequires improvement45.9

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 89% (Lancashire 74%, England 59%) · Any other White background 4% (Lancashire 4%, England 7%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Lancashire 1%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Lancashire 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Lancashire 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Lancashire 1%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Lancashire 2%, England 3%) · other groups together 2%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
7%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
17.5%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

14.93 suspensions per 100 pupils and 3 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Lancashire: 21.64 suspensions and 0.53 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
15.7
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

89% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 7% moved to another state school · 4% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained secondaries: 0.22% vacant, 0.42% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

68.1% of teachers took sickness absence, 8.6 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £52,155; 9.3% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£7,972
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 81% (77%) · premises 6% (6%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 4% (7%) · supplies and services 9% (10%) · educational supplies 3% (6%) · bought-in professional services 4% (2%) · catering 1% (3%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve £436,572; in-year balance -£84,965

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
89%
Continuing in education
73%
Apprenticeship
8%
Employment
8%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
2/10among the most deprived fifth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
2/10among the most deprived fifth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher22.2%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications23.5%18.1%
In managerial or professional work22.4%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways24%18.1%
Residents in very good health46.9%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier45.3%62.3%
Social housing47.1%17.1%
Privately rented7.6%20.5%
Detached houses20.6%22.9%
Flats6%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms13%21.1%
Households with no car or van25.4%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01025445 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£215,000309 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£162,500–£350,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (136)£355,000
Semi-detached (100)£180,000
Terraced (52)£156,000
Flat (21)£126,000

Homes around this school are cheaper than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
1an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
0an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
8an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
3an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools