St John Bosco Arts College

St John Bosco Arts College is a school that is overall meeting the expected standards of education, although there are significant areas that require improvement, especially regarding academic achievement at key stage 4 where results are below the national average. The school has made progress in improving attendance, particularly for vulnerable pupils, and has established a positive safeguarding culture, which has created a safe and supportive environment for students. Leadership is strong with high aspirations for all pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and disadvantaged backgrounds, but there is recognition that further efforts are necessary to drive academic improvement and consistency in teaching quality across subjects.

Strengths

• Positive culture of safeguarding that ensures pupils feel safe.
• Effective strategies implemented to improve attendance, particularly for vulnerable pupils.
• Strong relationships between pupils and staff, fostering respectful interactions.
• Well-designed personal development programs that engage pupils.
• Proactive leadership and governors committed to improving the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Academic achievement at key stage 4 remains below national averages.
• Inconsistent quality of teaching across some subjects leading to gaps in knowledge.
• Need for improved tracking of pupil understanding to support better academic progress.
• Pupils' attendance, particularly for those with SEND, still requires further improvement.

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 John Bosco Arts College attended 90.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.6% 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, 6.0% of pupils at St John Bosco Arts College 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 John Bosco Arts College had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.7% 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, 19.2% of pupils at St John Bosco Arts College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.9% 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 John Bosco Arts College received £9,007 and spent £9,144 for each of its 1,088 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £19,000 (£17 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

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What is St John Bosco Arts College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John Bosco Arts College is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was St John Bosco Arts College last inspected by Ofsted?

St John Bosco Arts College was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does St John Bosco Arts College have?

St John Bosco Arts College has 1,086 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John Bosco Arts College cover?

St John Bosco Arts College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St John Bosco Arts College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.1, and 26% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St John Bosco Arts College?

St John Bosco Arts College is at Storrington Avenue, Croxteth, Merseyside, L11 9DQ.