The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School

The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School continues to perform well, maintaining its good overall judgement since its last inspection. The evidence collected during the ungraded inspection suggests that the school could achieve an outstanding grade in a future graded inspection. Pupils exhibit a sense of pride in their school, showing exemplary behavior and confidence, while being engaged in a rich variety of extracurricular opportunities. The supportive and inclusive environment allows students to develop strong relationships and a sense of belonging, with effective leadership and curriculum design contributing positively to high pupil achievements in national exams.

Strengths

• Pupils display exemplary behavior and confidence.
• The school provides a wide range of extracurricular opportunities.
• Curriculum is well-planned and builds on previous learning.
• Teachers are well-trained, knowledgeable, and provide effective support.
• Exceptional provision for personal development.
• High expectations of behavior leading to a calm learning atmosphere.
• Effective identification and support for pupils with SEND.

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 The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 12.8% 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, 2.9% of pupils at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School had 18.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.6% 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, 10.6% of pupils at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School 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 2024–25 The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School received £7,322 and spent £7,073 for each of its 1,605 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,392,000 (£867 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust, income was £7,471 and spending £7,253 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 Stevenage · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School is part of The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School Stevenage
• St Margaret Clitherow Roman Catholic Primary School Stevenage
• St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School Letchworth Garden City
• Our Lady Catholic Primary School Hitchin
• St John Roman Catholic Primary School Baldock
• The Holy Family Catholic Primary School Welwyn Garden City
• St Mary Roman Catholic Primary School Royston
• Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School St Albans
• Saint Michael's Catholic High School Watford
• St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School Watford

What is The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School have?

The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School has 1,620 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School cover?

The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 55.7, and 60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?

The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School is at Hitchin Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 4AE.