St John Henry Newman Catholic School

St John Henry Newman Catholic School is a smaller-than-average Roman Catholic secondary school with a sixth form. Safeguarding is effective, and pupils are proud of 'The Newman Family', feel safe and are generally courteous, respectful and well behaved. The curriculum has been strengthened and is coherent, reading support systems are effective, and pupils benefit from strong pastoral care, enrichment, careers guidance and leadership opportunities, particularly in Years 7 to 11. However, the school is not yet meeting expected standards overall. Achievement and post-16 outcomes have been below national averages, pupils have persistent gaps in knowledge, and teachers do not routinely check understanding well enough. Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is inconsistent, including in the sixth form, and leaders do not robustly monitor the impact of their actions. Attendance remains below national average and recent improvement has not been sustained. The sixth-form personal development programme is not fully implemented, and governors have been too slow to challenge declining standards. Recent leadership changes have identified some correct priorities and begun relevant training, but the impact is not yet evident.

Strengths

• Safeguarding arrangements are effective and pupils feel safe.
• Pupils are proud of the school community and are courteous, respectful and kind.
• Behaviour is strong, with calm classrooms and social times and rare bullying.
• The curriculum has been strengthened and is coherent and well structured.
• Teachers are subject experts and typically provide appropriate learning activities.
• Effective systems identify pupils needing reading support and generally provide it.
• Disadvantaged pupils often receive appropriate support and funded opportunities.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel supported with workload and wellbeing.
• Personal development, enrichment and leadership opportunities are strong in Years 7 to 11.
• Careers guidance is appropriate, and most pupils move on to suitable education, training or employment.
• Sixth-form students act as role models and contribute through leadership and fundraising.
• The school is a caring community with strong pastoral support.

Areas for Improvement

• Attainment and progress at GCSE and A level are below national averages.
• Pupils have persistent gaps in knowledge, including writing and number skills.
• Teachers do not routinely check pupils' understanding, so misconceptions and gaps persist.
• Provision and achievement for pupils with SEND are inconsistent, including in the sixth form.
• Leaders do not robustly monitor SEND achievement from starting points.
• Attendance remains below the national average and recent improvement has not been sustained.
• The school does not meet the government's expectation for minimum weekly hours.
• The sixth-form personal development and wellbeing programme is not fully implemented.
• Post-16 work experience is not always tailored to students' career ambitions.
• Leaders lack rigorous systems to measure the impact of actions and training.
• Governors have been too slow to recognise declining standards and provide challenge.
• Historically, leaders have not addressed weaknesses quickly enough.

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 Henry Newman Catholic School attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.2% 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, 1.7% of pupils at St John Henry Newman Catholic 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 John Henry Newman Catholic School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.0% 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, 13.8% of pupils at St John Henry Newman Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% 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 St John Henry Newman Catholic School received £8,972 and spent £9,182 for each of its 705 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £34,000 (-£48 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 Carlisle · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

What is St John Henry Newman Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John Henry Newman Catholic School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was St John Henry Newman Catholic School last inspected by Ofsted?

St John Henry Newman Catholic School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does St John Henry Newman Catholic School have?

St John Henry Newman Catholic School has 703 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John Henry Newman Catholic School cover?

St John Henry Newman Catholic School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St John Henry Newman Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.9, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St John Henry Newman Catholic School?

St John Henry Newman Catholic School is at Scalegate Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 4NL.