Mount St Mary's Catholic High School

Mount St Mary’s Catholic High School is a highly inclusive, aspirational secondary school where pupils achieve very well and feel happy, safe and well supported. Inspectors found exceptional practice across the curriculum, behaviour, personal development and leadership, with pupils benefiting from a broad, ambitious education that is carefully designed to build knowledge and skills. Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are identified early and supported effectively, and reading is prioritised across subjects. Behaviour is impeccable, attendance is consistently high, and pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life beyond school through a rich personal development programme and wide enrichment opportunities. The school’s leadership is exemplary, with strong support and challenge from governors, the diocese and the local authority. Staff feel well supported and receive continuing professional development, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, following a previous inspection graded Good; under the current framework, no single overall effectiveness grade was awarded.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive school with a deep community spirit
• Broad, ambitious and well-developed curriculum
• Early identification and targeted support for pupils with SEND
• Expert curriculum delivery that helps pupils progress well
• Strong focus on reading across subjects
• Pupils behave impeccably and lessons are calm and purposeful
• Consistently high rates of attendance and punctuality
• Rich and varied personal development offer
• Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain
• Wide range of lunchtime and after-school activities targeted to include all pupils
• Exemplary leadership with effective governance and external support
• Staff feel well supported and benefit from continuing professional development
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 Mount St Mary's Catholic High School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 10.0% 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, 7.0% of pupils at Mount St Mary's Catholic High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Mount St Mary's Catholic High School had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.7% 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, 14.6% of pupils at Mount St Mary's Catholic High 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 Mount St Mary's Catholic High School received £9,049 and spent £9,245 for each of its 943 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £230,000 (£244 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 Leeds · Leeds local authority: places and applications

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Mount St Mary's Catholic High School is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2025.

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

Mount St Mary's Catholic High School was last inspected in May 2025.

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

Mount St Mary's Catholic High School has 943 pupils on roll.

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

Mount St Mary's Catholic High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

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

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 54.6, and 50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Mount St Mary's Catholic High School?

Mount St Mary's Catholic High School is at Ellerby Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS9 8LA.