St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School

St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School has recently undergone its first inspection as an academy and has been rated as good overall. The school fosters a supportive and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and valued. Students demonstrate exemplary behavior, engagement in learning, and a commitment to high expectations set by their leaders. The curriculum is generally well-structured, promoting both academic and personal development, with provisions for pupils with special educational needs being a notable strength. However, there are areas where the depth of study in key subjects could be improved, particularly in history during the early years of secondary education.

Strengths

• Exemplary behavior and high levels of student engagement
• Strong subject knowledge and effective teaching strategies
• A welcoming and supportive community atmosphere
• High participation in extra-curricular activities
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs
• Comprehensive careers program meeting all requirements
• Strong promotion of reading and literacy

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent expectations and assessment practices among teachers
• Limited depth of study in some subjects during key stage 3

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 Comprehensive School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 9.0% 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, 5.0% of pupils at St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive 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 St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.6% 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, 14.1% of pupils at St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.6% 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 Comprehensive School received £9,492 and spent £9,553 for each of its 641 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £141,000 (-£220 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, income was £8,412 and spending £8,501 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 Greenwich · Greenwich local authority: places and applications

St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School is part of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Catholic Primary School London
• St Vincent's Catholic Primary School London
• Notre Dame Catholic Primary School London
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Bromley
• St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School Sidcup
• St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School Orpington
• St Thomas More Catholic Primary School Bexleyheath
• St Columba's Catholic Boys' School Bexleyheath
• St James' Roman Catholic Primary School Orpington
• St Philomena's Primary School Orpington

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

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

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

St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School have?

St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School has 637 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School cover?

St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

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

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 59.6, and 72% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School?

St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School is at Footscray Road, Eltham, London, SE9 2SU.