Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College

Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College is a Roman Catholic secondary school in Worcester with around 1,050 pupils. It was inspected in June 2026 under the current framework, and safeguarding standards are met. The inspection found the school performing at the expected standard across the evaluated areas: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils achieve well in Year 11, with outcomes generally above national averages, and current pupils—including those with SEND—benefit from consistent teaching and an ambitious, broad curriculum. Behaviour and attendance are notable strengths. Pupils behave very well, treat others with respect, feel safe, and attendance is improving, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Leaders use the Beacon provision effectively to support pupils with complex barriers, and they monitor attendance and part-time timetables carefully. Leadership is well regarded: governors are committed and well informed, parents are highly supportive, and staff are positive about workload, wellbeing and professional development. Personal development is thoughtfully planned, with strong careers guidance and a wide range of trips, clubs and activities. The main development points concern inclusion and consistency. Disadvantaged pupils have not achieved as highly as their non-disadvantaged peers, although the school reports that this gap is closing and leaders are taking careful action. Leaders should refine inclusion strategies, including for disadvantaged pupils, to keep reducing barriers to attendance, participation and learning. There are also minor concerns that grammatical mistakes can persist in pupils' work, that literacy improvement is not yet fully consistent across subjects, and that pupils occasionally do not complete tasks as well as they could. The school uses four alternative provisions, three of which are unregistered, which is relevant context for its inclusive work.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well in Year 11, with published outcomes generally above national averages.
• Current pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well through consistent teaching.
• Leaders have designed a broad, ambitious curriculum with key knowledge logically sequenced.
• Pupils can study a wide range of subjects, including several modern languages and art qualifications.
• Adaptive teaching is a priority and is helping pupils with SEND, lower literacy and disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils behave very well and consistently meet the school's high expectations.
• Pupils are respectful and understand that discriminatory behaviour is unacceptable.
• Bullying is not tolerated, and leaders act promptly on unkind behaviour.
• Attendance is increasing, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Leaders use the Beacon provision effectively for pupils with significant attendance challenges.
• Pupils with part-time timetables are regularly reviewed and supported to return to full-time education.
• Leaders carefully assess pupils' needs on entry and give staff helpful information to adapt teaching.
• The Beacon facility supports pupils with complex barriers to learning, attendance or wellbeing.
• Leaders keep close oversight of pupils known to social care and ensure high-quality personal education plans.
• Leaders have an astute understanding of the school and use precise internal reviews to target improvement.
• Governors are highly committed, well informed, and offer appropriate support and challenge.
• Parents are highly supportive and appreciate the school's ethos and individual support for pupils.
• Staff are very positive about leadership, workload and wellbeing, and benefit from effective training.
• Personal development is aligned with the school's virtues and covers key learning for healthy, happy lives.
• Pupils receive strong careers and destinations information, including about apprenticeships and employment.
• A wide range of trips, clubs and activities helps pupils develop new hobbies and interests.
• Pupils value warm relationships with staff and a welcoming, diverse school community.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are identified and managed.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils have not achieved as highly as their non-disadvantaged peers, although the gap is closing.
• Leaders should refine inclusion strategies, including for disadvantaged pupils, to further reduce barriers to attendance, participation and learning.
• Grammatical mistakes in pupils' work can persist, and literacy improvement is not yet fully consistent across subjects.
• There can be occasions when pupils do not complete tasks as well as they are able to.

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 Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College attended 92.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.6% 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, 4.7% of pupils at Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 1.7% 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, 12.5% of pupils at Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.5% 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 Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College received £7,934 and spent £7,771 for each of its 1,038 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £853,000 (£821 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 Worcester · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

What is Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College last inspected by Ofsted?

Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College have?

Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College has 1,036 pupils on roll.

What age range does Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College cover?

Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.9, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College?

Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College is at Timberdine Avenue, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR5 2XD.