St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon

St Thomas More Catholic School is performing well, rated as good in all inspected areas including the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, leadership, and sixth-form provision. Leaders have established a supportive environment that fosters high aspirations among pupils, who exhibit strong behaviour in a calm learning atmosphere. There is notable support for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), showcasing the school’s commitment to inclusivity. However, the school's first routine inspection since before the pandemic indicates areas needing attention, particularly around assessment practices and consistency in behaviour management among staff.

Strengths

• Strong support for pupils with SEND.
• High ambitions set by leaders for all pupils.
• Calm and orderly environment with good pupil behaviour.
• Broad and inclusive curriculum that builds knowledge over time.
• Effective strategies employed to improve attendance.
• Wide range of extra-curricular opportunities provided.
• Strong pastoral support with a solid house system.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in assessment practices in some subjects.
• Variability in behaviour management approaches by teachers.
• Lack of alignment in personal development curriculum between Year 11 and sixth form.

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 Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 13.4% 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, 4.4% of pupils at St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon 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 St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.7% 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, 8.5% of pupils at St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.1% 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 2024–25 St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon received £8,199 and spent £7,978 for each of its 1,402 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £482,000 (£344 per pupil).

Across all 46 schools of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,708 and spending £7,760 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Blaydon-On-Tyne · Gateshead local authority: places and applications

St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blaydon Blaydon-On-Tyne
• St Mary & St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School, Blaydon Blaydon-On-Tyne
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whickham Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• St Agnes' Catholic Primary School, Crawcrook Ryton
• St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, Dunston Gateshead
• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Byermoor Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School, Gateshead Gateshead
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Gateshead Gateshead
• St Peter's Catholic Primary School, Low Fell Gateshead
• St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe Prudhoe

What is St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon is Good, from an inspection in November 2025.

When was St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon last inspected by Ofsted?

St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon was last inspected in November 2025.

How many pupils does St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon have?

St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon has 1,401 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon cover?

St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.0, and 53% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon?

St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon is at Croftdale Road, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE21 4BQ.