Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School

Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School is a smaller-than-average Catholic secondary school that has made substantial progress over the past two years. Safeguarding is met, and leaders, governors and staff have created a warm, faith-centred community with high morale and strong parental support. The school’s personal development and wellbeing provision is a clear strength: pupils receive a well-sequenced PSHE, RSE and citizenship curriculum, learn about health, safety and British values, and benefit from an unusually broad range of trips, clubs, leadership roles and careers activities. Behaviour and attendance are generally positive, relationships are respectful, and pupils are well prepared for their next steps. Most pupils achieve well enough to access ambitious courses, and recent key stage 4 outcomes are broadly in line with national averages in many subjects. Disadvantaged pupils’ attainment has improved and the gap is narrowing, while support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils is carefully considered. However, the school is not yet consistently strong across all areas. Teaching quality varies between subjects, with a minority of subjects less well developed, and SEND adaptations are not consistently applied in every classroom. Overall absence and persistent absence rose above national averages in 2024/25, and disadvantaged pupils’ progress remains a focus. Leaders have an accurate view of what still needs to improve and have set clear next steps: embed highly effective teaching across every subject and make attainment-raising strategies more effective at closing the gap between disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. The inspection findings point to a school that is securely fulfilling expected standards overall, with strong personal development and improving leadership, but with further work needed to make teaching and outcomes consistently strong.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Personal development and wellbeing are a strong standard, with a well-developed PSHE, RSE and citizenship curriculum.
• Pupils have secure knowledge of healthy relationships, consent, misogyny and fundamental British values.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips, clubs, Duke of Edinburgh, sports and ambassador opportunities.
• Careers education is effective; pupils move on to ambitious courses, employment or apprenticeships.
• Most pupils achieve well and key stage 4 results are in line with national averages in many subjects.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ attainment is in line with disadvantaged pupils nationally and the gap is narrowing.
• Behaviour is calm and purposeful, with positive staff-pupil relationships and a family-like atmosphere.
• Pupils are polite and respectful, and suspensions and persistent absence are reducing for most pupils.
• The curriculum is broad and well designed, and teaching standards have risen, for example in history and geography.
• Leaders use professional learning to develop staff expertise, helping most pupils learn well.
• Support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils includes careful use of pupil premium and external specialist help.
• Leaders and governors know the school well, staff morale is high, and parents speak highly of school leaders.
• Alternative provision is used appropriately and monitored for positive impact.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching quality is not consistently high across all subjects, and a minority of subjects are less well developed.
• SEND adaptations are not consistently applied across all classrooms.
• Overall absence and persistent absence were above national averages in 2024/25.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ progress and attainment still require improvement, and the national disadvantage gap remains.
• Overall Progress 8 and disadvantaged pupils’ Progress 8 were below national averages in 2023/24.
• Leaders need to embed highly effective teaching across every subject area.
• Leaders need to make attainment-raising strategies more effective at closing the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Higher expectations are not yet met consistently in all subjects.

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 Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School attended 89.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.4% 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, 10.4% of pupils at Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 8 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 Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.4% 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, 13.4% of pupils at Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% 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 Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School received £8,470 and spent £8,580 for each of its 814 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £606,000 (£744 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).

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Colne · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School have?

Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School has 812 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School cover?

Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.5, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School?

Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School is at Gibfield Road, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 8JT.