St Mary's Catholic High School

St Mary's Catholic High School is performing well overall, demonstrating strong leadership and effective safeguarding practices. The school has high attendance rates and positive pupil behavior, creating a supportive and inclusive environment where students feel safe. Leaders are ambitious for pupils and recognize the barriers many face, working to ensure all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), have the opportunity to succeed. However, there are some inconsistencies in pupils' achievements, particularly in written and spoken communication, which need addressing for greater readiness for their next educational stages.

Strengths

• High attendance rates and proactive measures to encourage regular attendance.
• Positive pupil behavior and respectful attitudes within the school environment.
• Strong leadership with a focus on reducing barriers to success for all pupils.
• Effective pastoral support fostering a sense of belonging and care.
• Inclusive practices tailored to meet diverse needs of students, including those with SEND.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in written and spoken communication skills among pupils.
• Some pupils with SEND do not access the curriculum as well as their peers, leading to gaps in knowledge.

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 St Mary's Catholic High School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.1% 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, 4.1% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 St Mary's Catholic High School had 18.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.1% 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, 12.2% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% 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 St Mary's Catholic High School received £9,706 and spent £9,620 for each of its 566 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,260,000 (£3,994 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Croydon · Croydon local authority: places and applications

What is St Mary's Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Catholic High School is Needs attention, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was St Mary's Catholic High School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Catholic High School was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does St Mary's Catholic High School have?

St Mary's Catholic High School has 565 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Catholic High School cover?

St Mary's Catholic High School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are St Mary's Catholic High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.7, and 50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Mary's Catholic High School?

St Mary's Catholic High School is at Woburn Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 2EE.