St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy

St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy is a welcoming and rapidly improving 11–18 school within the Blessed Peter Snow Catholic Academy Trust. Inspectors found that pupils feel safe and happy, behaviour has improved markedly, and most pupils are calm, polite and positive about learning. Personal development is well structured, with a wide range of clubs, effective careers guidance and strong sixth-form role models. The sixth form is a notable strength, with a more developed curriculum and improving outcomes, and safeguarding is effective. Leadership has driven significant improvement since the previous inspection, and the school no longer requires significant improvement. However, the quality of education is not yet consistently good. Curriculum planning is uneven across subjects, teaching does not always match work to what pupils already know, and key stage 4 examination outcomes have been poor over time. Some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Provision for pupils with SEND is improving but remains variable. Attendance is improving but persistent absence remains too high for a significant number of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, which limits their learning and wider opportunities. Some leaders are new and improvement work is inconsistent in places; the trust is asked to support leadership development. Overall, the school is on a clear upward trajectory but still has important work to do to secure consistently good education and outcomes for all pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and happy in a welcoming school.
• Behaviour has greatly improved; pupils are calm, polite and respectful.
• Most pupils have positive attitudes to learning.
• Sixth-form provision is good, with a more developed curriculum and improving outcomes.
• Sixth-form students demonstrate intricate knowledge and act as strong role models.
• Personal development is well structured, including health, online safety and British values.
• Careers guidance is effective and prepares pupils for future opportunities.
• A wide range of extra-curricular clubs broadens pupils' interests.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The Sacred Heart provision supports pupils with complex behavioural needs effectively.
• Attendance is noticeably improving.
• Reading culture is beginning to improve, with more pupils using the library.
• Staff are positive and committed; governors and trustees provide effective support and challenge.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum planning is inconsistent across subjects, with knowledge not precisely identified.
• Work given to pupils is sometimes not well matched to what they already know.
• Key stage 4 examination and assessment outcomes have been poor over time.
• Some older pupils have significant gaps in knowledge from earlier teaching.
• Provision for pupils with SEND varies in lessons and is still being developed.
• Persistent absence remains high for some disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• A minority of pupils still receive suspensions.
• Some leaders are new and their improvement work has inconsistent impact.
• The school needs to ensure curriculum improvements translate into better key stage 4 outcomes.
• The impact of new reading interventions is not yet evident.

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 John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy attended 88.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 36.1% 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, 26.5% of pupils at St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 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 John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy had 15.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.5% 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, 8.6% of pupils at St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.0% 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 2023–24 St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy received £8,811 and spent £8,367 for each of its 958 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,824,000 (£1,904 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, income was £7,232 and spending £7,199 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 Dewsbury · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• St Ignatius Catholic Primary School Wakefield
• English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Wakefield
• St Austin's Catholic Primary School Wakefield
• St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy Wakefield
• St. John the Baptist Catholic Primary School Normanton
• St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy Pontefract
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford Castleford
• St Benedict's Catholic Primary School Leeds
• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Pontefract
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract Pontefract

What is St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy have?

St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy has 992 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy cover?

St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 34.9, and 28% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy?

St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy is at Oxford Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF13 4LL.