St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn

St Bede’s Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn is a caring secondary school where pupils are proud and happy, and where staff know pupils well. Since the previous inspection, leaders have improved the curriculum so that learning is better ordered and pupils build successfully on prior knowledge. The school has also broadened key stage 4 subjects, and pupils with SEND are well supported and fully included. Behaviour in lessons is calm and orderly, pupils typically achieve well, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Published 2024 outcomes do not reflect the current quality of education, largely because low attendance affected some pupils; the school has taken appropriate action and most pupils now attend regularly. All four key judgements are good, although inspectors identified two clear areas for improvement. A small number of pupils do not meet the school’s high behaviour expectations during unstructured times, which can make social times less calm than they should be. The curriculum also does not consistently give pupils enough opportunity to practise speaking and listening, so some pupils struggle to express their ideas clearly and confidently. Governors, staff development and workload support are strengths, and staff are proud and loyal to the school.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud and happy to attend a caring school with strong values.
• Staff know pupils well and are ambitious for their achievement and development.
• The curriculum has been refined so that learning is ordered effectively and builds on prior knowledge.
• The range of key stage 4 subjects has been broadened, providing an ambitious curriculum.
• Pupils with SEND receive appropriate support and are fully included in school life.
• Staff training helps teachers design learning activities that support pupils to learn successfully.
• Effective phonics support helps address gaps in pupils’ reading abilities.
• Clear behaviour routines mean low-level disruption in lessons is extremely rare.
• Pupils benefit from a well-designed personal development programme covering safety, healthy relationships and respect for difference.
• Careers provision prepares pupils for the next stage of education, employment or training.
• Governors are ambitious, supportive and challenge the school to achieve its aims.
• Staff value development opportunities and efforts to support their workload and well-being.
• Actions to improve attendance have enabled most pupils to attend school regularly.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• A small number of pupils do not meet the school’s high behaviour expectations during unstructured times.
• Staff should apply behaviour policies consistently and support pupils to behave appropriately throughout the school day.
• Pupils are not always given sufficient time to practise speaking and listening skills in lessons.
• Some pupils struggle to develop their ideas and express themselves clearly and confidently.
• Published 2024 outcomes do not reflect the improvement in the quality of education, partly due to low attendance.

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 Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn attended 92.5% 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, 6.1% of pupils at St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn had 15.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.6% 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, 14.4% of pupils at St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.4% 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 Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn received £8,105 and spent £8,213 for each of its 1,053 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £454,000 (£431 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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What is St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn's Ofsted rating?

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

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

St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn was last inspected in May 2025.

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

St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn has 1,051 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.4, and 52% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn?

St Bede's Roman Catholic High School, Blackburn is at Green Lane, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4SR.