St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham

St Bede’s Catholic High School, Lytham is a welcoming and caring Catholic secondary school where pupils feel happy and safe and typically behave well. Leaders have high aspirations, pupils achieve well across a broad and enriched curriculum, and the vast majority move on to education, training or employment after Year 11. Reading is prioritised, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly, and careers advice and personal development are strong. Safeguarding is effective. The school was judged good in each key area at this graded inspection, having previously been good; as is standard for graded inspections from September 2024, no overall effectiveness grade was given. Since the previous inspection there have been leadership changes, including two new assistant headteachers and a new chair of governors. The main areas for improvement concern how well information is used. In some subjects, staff do not use checks of pupils’ knowledge consistently enough to identify and fill gaps before moving on, which can slow learning for some pupils. Similarly, information about some pupils with SEND is not always used effectively by all staff, so a small number of these pupils do not learn as well as they could. Otherwise, behaviour, attendance, personal development and leadership are strengths, and staff and governors are well supported.

Strengths

• High aspirations and strong achievement across a range of academic and vocational subjects
• A welcoming, caring community with positive relationships and pupils who feel happy and safe
• Typically good behaviour, respect and engagement in lessons and around the school
• A broad, enriched curriculum with logically sequenced subject content and a growing EBacc uptake
• Effective reading support and a wide range of high-quality texts that build confidence and fluency
• Quick identification of SEND and improved information and expertise for staff
• Clear behaviour routines and a consistent approach that create a calm, orderly atmosphere
• Careful attendance monitoring and effective strategies that help pupils attend regularly
• Strong personal development, including mental health support, British values, and respect for diversity
• High-quality careers advice, work experience and employer engagement that prepare pupils well for next steps
• Staff feel supported with workload and well-being, and governors provide support and constructive challenge
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, checks of pupils’ knowledge are not used effectively to identify and address gaps before new content is taught
• Information about some pupils with SEND is not always used effectively by all staff, so a small number do not learn as well as they could

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 Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.4% 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, 4.8% of pupils at St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham 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 Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.6% 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, 9.3% of pupils at St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.2% 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 Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham received £7,585 and spent £7,223 for each of its 817 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £418,000 (£512 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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All schools in Lytham St Annes · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham last inspected by Ofsted?

St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham have?

St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham has 817 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham cover?

St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.7, and 46% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham?

St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham is at Talbot Road, Lytham, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, FY8 4JL.