St Edmund's Catholic School

St Edmund’s Catholic School continues to excel as an outstanding institution. Pupils thrive in a nurturing environment, enjoying a well-rounded education that fosters both academic excellence and personal growth. The strong Catholic ethos cultivates a sense of community, while the school's commitment to pupil well-being is evident through initiatives such as the Trinity Centre. With a diverse range of clubs and opportunities for leadership, students are actively engaged in their school life, making it a proud place for them to learn and grow.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve highly academically and grow into responsible individuals.
• A broad and ambitious curriculum effectively builds knowledge over time.
• Staff are enthusiastic and present information in clear and engaging ways.
• Exceptional support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• High-profile reading programs foster a love of reading among pupils.
• Strong spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development integrated into school life.
• Excellent safeguarding practices ensure pupil safety and well-being.

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 Edmund's Catholic School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 7.5% 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, 1.1% of pupils at St Edmund's Catholic 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 St Edmund's Catholic School had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.0% 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, 11.2% of pupils at St Edmund's Catholic 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 Edmund's Catholic School received £7,769 and spent £7,804 for each of its 1,157 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,312,000 (£1,134 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 Portsmouth · Portsmouth local authority: places and applications

What is St Edmund's Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Edmund's Catholic School is Outstanding, from an inspection in September 2022.

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

St Edmund's Catholic School was last inspected in September 2022.

How many pupils does St Edmund's Catholic School have?

St Edmund's Catholic School has 1,157 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Edmund's Catholic School cover?

St Edmund's Catholic School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are St Edmund's Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 56.0, and 64% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Edmund's Catholic School?

St Edmund's Catholic School is at Arundel Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 1RX.