Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School

Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School has demonstrated significant improvement since becoming an academy, resulting in an overall effectiveness rating of good. The school has successfully implemented a broad and ambitious curriculum that supports students in gaining essential knowledge and skills for their future. Positive behaviour and a respectful learning environment have been fostered, aided by high expectations from leaders and staff. However, challenges remain in ensuring all pupils feel fully respected and addressing issues related to attendance.

Strengths

• Significant improvement since becoming an academy.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum effectively sequenced across subjects.
• Expert support for weakest readers leading to excellent progress.
• Strong processes for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND.
• High-quality careers guidance available to students.
• Active involvement in clubs and community activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent checking of pupils' understanding by teachers.
• Insufficient support for sixth-form students in developing independent thinking.
• Some pupils do not adhere to the school's culture of respect.
• High absence and persistent absence levels impacting learning.

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 Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School attended 89.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 33.4% 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, 10.2% of pupils at Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School 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 Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.6% 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 Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.1% 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 Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School received £8,436 and spent £8,096 for each of its 842 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,741,000 (£2,068 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 Wednesbury · Sandwell local authority: places and applications

Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School is part of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 64 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Catholic Primary School Wednesbury
• St John Bosco Catholic Primary School West Bromwich
• Holy Name Catholic Primary School Birmingham
• St Mark's Catholic Primary School Birmingham
• Corpus Christi Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• Holy Rosary Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Dudley
• St Teresa's Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton
• SS Mary and John's Catholic Primary Academy Wolverhampton

What is Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School have?

Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School has 807 pupils on roll.

What age range does Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School cover?

Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.5, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School?

Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School is at Wood Green Road, Wednesbury, West Midlands, WS10 9QS.