Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School

Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School continues to perform well as a good school, providing a happy and safe environment for its pupils. The school excels in fostering a strong sense of community where students feel valued and well-supported, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is well-structured, leading to positive outcomes in national examinations over time. However, the school faces challenges in ensuring all teachers receive adequate subject-specific training, which can hinder some students' potential achievements.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy, safe, and valued.
• Strong support for pupils with SEND.
• High-quality guidance and care for personal development.
• Pupils exhibit positive behavior and manners.
• Effective curriculum mapping across all key stages.
• Teachers build positive relationships with pupils.
• Pupils have a strong culture of reading for pleasure.
• Well-planned careers program preparing pupils for life after school.

Areas for Improvement

• Lack of sufficient subject-specific training for some teachers.
• Inconsistent opportunities for subject-specific reading across departments.

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 Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.0% 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, 4.5% of pupils at Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.3% 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, 7.4% of pupils at Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.3% 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 Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School received £8,738 and spent £8,680 for each of its 1,199 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £593,000 (£495 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of All Saints Catholic Academy Trust, income was £8,047 and spending £8,105 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 Rickmansworth · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School is part of All Saints Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• St John Catholic Primary School Rickmansworth
• Holy Rood Catholic Primary School Watford
• Divine Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School Abbots Langley
• Saint Albert the Great Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Hemel Hempstead
• St Rose's Catholic Infant School Hemel Hempstead
• St Cuthbert Mayne Voluntary Catholic Junior Academy Hemel Hempstead
• John F Kennedy Catholic School Hemel Hempstead
• Saint Bernadette Voluntary Catholic Primary Academy St Albans
• St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Berkhamsted
• St Alban & St Stephen Catholic Primary School & Nursery St Albans

What is Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School last inspected by Ofsted?

Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School have?

Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School has 1,198 pupils on roll.

What age range does Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School cover?

Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.6, and 53% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School?

Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School is at High Street, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, WD3 1HG.