SchoolFacts.uk

The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School

Secondary · Stevenage · SG1 4AE

Data updated

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 17 July 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,620 pupils · 115% of 1,405 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
10% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
26.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
11.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.jhn.herts.sch.uk
URN
137895

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 290 families named it first for 219 Year 7 places, 1.32 first choices per place. We hold 12 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2015 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 17 July 2024 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.1% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.32 first-choice applications per place

219 places offered · 290 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. The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

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

GCSE results (2024/2025)

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

Attainment 8 score
57.9
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
83.7%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
64.4%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
5.1
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.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) B-
37.1
England 35

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

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school57.9
Median of its 12 closest peers56.3
Hertfordshire average50.9
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
Wren Academy FinchleyLondon · 21 miles awayOutstanding (2018)59.8
St John the Baptist Catholic Comprehensive School, WokingWoking · 45 miles awayOutstanding58.1
St Paul's Catholic CollegeSunbury-on-Thames · 36 miles awayOutstanding61.8
St Crispin's SchoolWokingham · 44 miles awayExpected standard51.7
Vyners SchoolUxbridge · 27 miles awayOutstanding (2019)53.5
Nunnery Wood High SchoolWorcester · 86 miles awayStrong standard49.7
Higham Lane SchoolNuneaton · 68 miles awayOutstanding (2019)52.3
Tudor Grange Academy, SolihullSolihull · 75 miles awayOutstanding58.7
Beaumont SchoolSt Albans · 12 miles awayOutstanding62.6
Kings' SchoolWinchester · 77 miles awayGood57.8
Guildford County SchoolGuildford · 50 miles awayOutstanding54.8
Bosworth AcademyLeicester · 67 miles awayGood48.6

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 42% (Hertfordshire 60%, England 59%) · Black African 16% (Hertfordshire 4%, England 5%) · Any other White background 12% (Hertfordshire 9%, England 7%) · Any other Asian background 6% (Hertfordshire 3%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 5% (Hertfordshire 4%, England 4%) · Mixed White and Asian 3% (Hertfordshire 3%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 3% (Hertfordshire 3%, England 3%) · Any other Black background 2% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Hertfordshire 2%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black African 2% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 1%) · White Irish 2% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 0%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Hertfordshire 2%, England 2%) · Black Caribbean 1% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Not recorded 1% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 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)
5.1%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
11.2%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

4.42 suspensions per 100 pupils and 2 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Hertfordshire: 13.41 suspensions and 0.12 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
18.6
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

95% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 5% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 1.12% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

68.4% of teachers took sickness absence, 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 £60,206; 13.2% 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 (2024-25)

This school£6,781
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 81% (77%) · premises 4% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 4% (6%) · supplies and services 11% (11%) · educational supplies 9% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (1%) · catering 0% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £926,000; in-year balance +£544,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
98%
Continuing in education
94%
Apprenticeship
2%
Employment
1%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
63%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
23%
Any sustained destination
94%

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)
7/10less deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
6/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher46.7%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications13%18.1%
In managerial or professional work47.1%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways12%18.1%
Residents in very good health49.2%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier57.3%62.3%
Social housing21.3%17.1%
Privately rented21.4%20.5%
Detached houses33.6%22.9%
Flats33.5%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms34.5%21.1%
Households with no car or van21.6%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01023800 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£445,000326 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£328,500–£559,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (99)£610,000
Semi-detached (94)£449,000
Terraced (83)£350,000
Flat (50)£202,500

Homes around this school are dearer than three quarters of 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
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
6an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
32an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
5an 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