Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School has been performing strongly overall, with notable strengths in attendance, behavior, and inclusivity. The school fosters a positive and nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and valued, largely due to strong leadership and effective support for students with additional needs. The personal development program is well-structured and aligns with local context, enhancing students' knowledge of safety, finance, and ethics. However, the school faces challenges with variable attainment levels, particularly in post-16 subjects, and leaders are aware of the need to address these gaps to improve overall academic performance.

Strengths

• High attendance rates above national averages.
• Strong behavior management leading to a calm learning environment.
• A culture of inclusivity where pupils' needs are met effectively.
• Well-structured personal development program.
• Supportive relationships between staff and pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Variable attainment in national tests, especially in post-16 subjects.
• Inconsistent use of assessment procedures across some subjects.

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 Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.4% 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, 5.3% of pupils at Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School had 14.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.6% 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, 24.3% of pupils at Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.4% 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 Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School received £9,320 and spent £9,260 for each of its 1,341 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £671,000 (£500 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 Liverpool · Liverpool local authority: places and applications

What is Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is Needs attention, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School have?

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School has 1,338 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School cover?

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.7, and 36% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School?

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is at Honeysgreen Lane, Liverpool, Merseyside, L12 9HZ.