Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy

Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy continues to demonstrate strong performance as a good school, showcasing an inclusive and thriving environment for its pupils. The school emphasizes respect for diverse faiths and cultures, leading to a positive community atmosphere where bullying is rare. Teachers hold high expectations, and many pupils engage in extra-curricular activities that cater to various interests, notably including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils benefit from a supportive curriculum that is well-planned and sequenced, effectively preparing them for future educational or career pathways.

Strengths

• Pupils thrive in an inclusive and diverse environment.
• High expectations from staff lead to strong engagement from pupils.
• Wide range of extra-curricular clubs that cater to all interests.
• Effective support for pupils' welfare and well-being.
• A strong focus on reading improvement with bespoke support programs.
• Curriculum well-planned and sequenced, revisiting topics over time.
• Pupils gain a good understanding of moral issues and healthy relationships.
• Successful career guidance and work experience opportunities for pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not fully utilize SEND information for lesson planning.
• Not all pupils read widely for pleasure, limiting enjoyment of reading.
• Inconsistent checking of pupil understanding before moving on in lessons.

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 Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.1% 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, 5.8% of pupils at Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy had 16.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.2% 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, 17.4% of pupils at Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.6% 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 Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy received £8,429 and spent £8,508 for each of its 1,191 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,800,000 (£1,511 per pupil).

Across all 56 schools of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,565 and spending £7,594 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 Wolverhampton · Wolverhampton local authority: places and applications

Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy is part of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 64 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• Holy Rosary Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary Academy & Nursery Wolverhampton
• Corpus Christi Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• SS Mary and John's Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• St Edmund's Catholic Academy Wolverhampton
• St Teresa's Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• St Christopher's Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton

What is Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy have?

Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy has 1,222 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy cover?

Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.1, and 25% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy?

Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy is at Old Fallings Lane, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV10 8BL.