St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy

St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College is a large Catholic voluntary academy in the Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust. Following its May 2026 inspection, safeguarding standards were met, and the school was judged to be performing at the expected standard overall. Its sixth form is a standout strength, providing an inspiring environment where students achieve very strong results and progress to competitive universities and prestigious apprenticeships. Leaders are ambitious and inclusive, with strong governance, high staff morale, and effective support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils feel safe, behave well, and benefit from a broad curriculum, strong pastoral care, enrichment, and careers education from Year 7. The school works closely with families to improve attendance and has a positive, respectful culture. There are still areas for further work. Attendance is improving but could be higher. External examination outcomes can improve, particularly for higher prior attainment pupils in Year 11, and in a small number of lessons the curriculum is not fully implemented as intended. Leaders should continue strengthening attendance partnerships and embedding consistent lesson expectations across all subjects.

Strengths

• Inspiring sixth form where students thrive and achieve very strong external examination results.
• Sixth-form students progress to competitive universities and prestigious apprenticeships.
• Targeted support helps sixth-form students with SEND make effective progress at pace.
• Leaders provide a rich, balanced and inclusive curriculum with progressive knowledge sequencing.
• Teaching is generally effective, with well-used questioning and prompt action on gaps in knowledge.
• Pupils behave with self-discipline and respect in a calm and safe environment.
• Bullying and poor behaviour are uncommon and are not tolerated when they occur.
• Strong pastoral care and personal development help pupils become confident, resilient and respectful.
• Leaders, trustees and governors share an ambitious vision and hold leaders to account rigorously.
• Staff morale is high, and leaders take staff wellbeing and workload seriously.
• Attendance is improving through personalised support and strong collaboration with families.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are well supported and feel valued.
• Broad enrichment, careers education from Year 7, and leadership opportunities prepare pupils well.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils feeling safe.

Areas for Improvement

• Overall attendance could be higher, despite improvements.
• External examination outcomes can still improve, especially for higher prior attainment pupils in Year 11.
• In a small number of lessons, the curriculum is not fully implemented as intended.
• Leaders should continue to embed consistent lesson expectations across all subjects so teaching leads to high outcomes over time.
• Leaders should continue working closely with families, carers and outside agencies to improve and sustain attendance.

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 Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.2% 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 St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy had 17.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.0% 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, 17.9% of pupils at St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.9% 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 Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy received £7,955 and spent £8,102 for each of its 1,798 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £807,000 (£449 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust, income was £7,636 and spending £7,721 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 Bradford · Bradford local authority: places and applications

St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy is part of Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• St Cuthbert and the First Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bradford
• St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Shipley
• St William's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bradford
• St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Bradford
• St Francis Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bradford
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Shipley
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bradford
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bradford
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bingley
• St. Clare's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bradford

What is St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy have?

St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy has 1,800 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy cover?

St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.4, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy?

St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy is at Highgate, Heaton, Bradford, BD9 4BQ.