St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham

St Leonard’s Catholic School, Durham has been judged outstanding in all inspected areas, a marked improvement from its previous requires improvement grade. Inspectors found pupils achieve exceptionally well, behave with exemplary attitudes to learning, and benefit from a skilfully designed and taught curriculum that runs coherently from Year 7 to Year 13. The sixth form is also outstanding, with students developing deep subject expertise and progressing to impressive next steps.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve exceptionally well in public examinations, with results improving year on year.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary, and they are highly motivated and confident learners.
• Teaching is high quality, and subject specialists use educational research to design a highly effective curriculum.
• The school has made significant improvements for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, supported by an ambitious and inclusive curriculum.
• Reading is a high priority, with effective assessment, rapid intervention and a comprehensive reading curriculum.
• Personal development is rich and deep, helping pupils build character, resilience and a broad understanding of the world.
• Careers information is integrated seamlessly into the curriculum, including strong support for sixth-form applications and apprenticeship pathways.
• Attendance rates are high, reflecting pupils’ enjoyment of school.
• Leadership is exceptional, maintaining high standards and a positive staff culture despite significant disruption from RAAC in school buildings.
• Parental engagement has improved significantly, and most parents would recommend the school.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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 Leonard's Catholic School, Durham attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.9% 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, 4.2% of pupils at St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Leonard's Catholic School, Durham had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.5% 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, 10.1% of pupils at St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.4% 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 Leonard's Catholic School, Durham received £8,517 and spent £8,320 for each of its 1,260 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £568,000 (£450 per pupil).

Across all 46 schools of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,708 and spending £7,760 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 Durham · County Durham local authority: places and applications

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• St Godric's Catholic Primary School, Durham Durham
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Gilesgate Durham
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Langley Moor Durham
• Our Lady & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Ushaw Moor Durham
• St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont Belmont
• St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Sacriston Durham
• St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village Durham
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street Chester Le Street
• St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton Houghton Le Spring
• St Benet's Catholic Primary School, Ouston Chester Le Street

What is St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham last inspected by Ofsted?

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham have?

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham has 1,293 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham cover?

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 56.5, and 60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham?

St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham is at North End, Durham, DH1 4NG.