La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School

La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School is a good school across all inspected areas, with effective safeguarding and a strong Catholic ethos built around service, dignity, respect and excellence. Pupils are kind to one another, feel safe, behave well in lessons and benefit from a broad, well-sequenced curriculum and a wide extra-curricular and personal development offer. The sixth form is also good, and current students are learning well; published 2023 outcomes do not fully reflect the curriculum's strength. This was the first routine inspection since the pandemic, and the school remains part of the LaSWAP sixth-form collaboration. Notable strengths include strong support for pupils with SEND, effective reading catch-up, comprehensive careers guidance and work experience, and staff who feel supported. Leaders and governors fulfil statutory duties, and pupils with SEND are particularly well supported in transitions. However, teaching adaptations are not consistently effective, so some pupils, including some with SEND, do not develop fluency as well as they could. Recently introduced behaviour systems are still being embedded, and conduct during social times is less positive for some pupils; follow-up is not always clear or consistent. Leaders also need better oversight of newer policies to check they are having the intended impact, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. The school does not currently have a staff member with the requisite SEND qualifications, although plans are in place to address this as a priority. Attendance is improving but remains below expectations for some pupils, and leaders are working with families to address this.

Strengths

• Broad, well-sequenced curriculum across subjects, including Latin and drama.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, build understanding over time.
• Strong sixth-form provision, with current students learning well.
• Pupils with SEND are appropriately identified and supported, including through key workers and strategy sheets.
• Effective reading support helps pupils who struggle to catch up.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and attend well and on time.
• Wide extra-curricular offer and leadership roles for pupils.
• Well-considered personal development programme, including British values and respect for difference.
• Comprehensive careers guidance and meaningful work experience, including in the sixth form.
• Particularly strong support for pupils with SEND in transitioning to the next phase.
• Staff feel supported with their well-being and workload.
• Leaders and governors fulfil their statutory duties well.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Pupils feel safe, and bullying is rare and typically dealt with effectively.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching adaptations are inconsistent; staff do not always check understanding or adapt to pupils' starting points.
• Some pupils, including some with SEND, are not developing their understanding and fluency across subjects.
• Recently introduced behaviour systems are not consistently applied, particularly during informal times.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND and those new to the school, are unclear how behaviour issues will be followed up.
• Conduct of some pupils during social times is less positive.
• The school and governors lack sufficient oversight of whether newer policies are having the intended impact.
• Goals and vision are not fully understood by all stakeholders or coherently coordinated.
• The school currently does not have a member of staff with the requisite SEND qualifications, though plans are in place.
• Attendance remains below expectations for some pupils, although it is improving.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.8% of pupils at La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School had 11.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 7.3% of pupils at La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School received £11,784 and spent £14,892 for each of its 551 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £1,264,000 (-£2,293 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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• Secondary Schools

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What is La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School last inspected by Ofsted?

La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School have?

La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School has 550 pupils on roll.

What age range does La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School cover?

La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 54.4, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School?

La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School is at Highgate Road, London, NW5 1RP.