St Thomas More Catholic School

St Thomas More Catholic School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspection categories. The school has high expectations for its pupils and a strong sense of community, rooted in its Catholic values. With a focus on providing a rich and ambitious curriculum, students show good behavior and feel safe, contributing positively to their learning environment. The school has previously not undergone a routine Ofsted inspection since becoming an academy, marking this evaluation as significant in assessing its progress and integration within the Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academy Trust.

Strengths

• Strong sense of community and supportive school ethos
• High expectations and aspirations for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Effective support provided for improving reading skills
• Ambitious curriculum with systematic teaching of key concepts
• Good involvement of pupils in community service and leadership opportunities
• Improved pupil behavior and attendance compared to the national average
• Effective careers education with tailored guidance for pupils

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent application of behavior policies by some staff
• Varied rigor in curriculum plans across subjects

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 attended 89.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 34.6% 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, 7.6% of pupils at St Thomas More 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 St Thomas More Catholic School had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.7% 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, 10.2% of pupils at St Thomas More Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% 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 received £7,900 and spent £8,538 for each of its 932 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £769,000 (£825 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust Ltd, income was £7,187 and spending £7,596 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 Bedford · Bedford local authority: places and applications

St Thomas More Catholic School is part of Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust Ltd, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• St John Rigby Catholic Primary School Bedford
• St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School Bedford
• Our Lady's Catholic Primary School Wellingborough
• St Gregory's Catholic Primary School Northampton
• St Thomas Becket Catholic School Northampton
• St Edward's Catholic Primary School Kettering
• The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School Northampton
• St Thomas More Catholic Primary School Kettering
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School Northampton
• Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary School Corby

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas More Catholic School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

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

St Thomas More Catholic School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does St Thomas More Catholic School have?

St Thomas More Catholic School has 893 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Thomas More Catholic School cover?

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

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

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.0, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Thomas More Catholic School?

St Thomas More Catholic School is at Tyne Crescent, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK41 7UL.