Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #17 in Liverpool public Top 36% UK

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMs Karen Smyth

location_onLiverpool, L12 9HZ

language Visit Website phone 1512351430

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2021

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Students

1,360

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Attainment 8

40.9

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GCSE Rank

#16 in Liverpool

#2,429 of 3,216 nationally

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Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is a Voluntary aided school secondary school in Liverpool, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.4×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is a voluntary aided school in Liverpool, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 1,324 pupils on roll, of whom 36% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 40.9, placing the school #16 in Liverpool and #2,429 of 3,216 nationally. 28.80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 9.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 19 A-level subjects. 28.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 12.0% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.36 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2021. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.4× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 14.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.7 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

40.9

Grade 5+ E&M

28.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)9.1%

Entering EBacc10.40%

EBacc APS3.18

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.41

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15.10%

EBacc APS3.57

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.57

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15%

EBacc APS3.32

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc7%

EBacc APS3.56

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc7%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.23

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc6%

EBacc APS3.3

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.28

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS3.64

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

85%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)75%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

88%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)72%

Apprenticeships11%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.36

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*2.4%

Achieving A*–A12.0%

Achieving A*–B28.9%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate98.3%

A-level subjects offered19

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.33

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate98.40%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate97.40%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

28 September 2021

Inspection Report

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23 February 2021

Inspection Report

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09 December 2020

Inspection Report

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20 March 2019

Inspection Report

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24 January 2018

Inspection Report

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13 January 2016

Inspection Report

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25 February 2014

Inspection Report

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20 November 2013

Inspection Report

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11 January 2012

Inspection Report

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09 November 2009

Inspection Report

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01 December 2008

Inspection Report

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18 October 2006

Inspection Report

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26 March 2001

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

5 Evaluations

2021-09-28

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 3 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2019-03-20

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2018-01-24

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2016-01-13

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2013-11-20

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

2.6%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.1%(28 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,324 pupils. During this period, there were 35 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.6%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,324	35	2.6%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,328	37	2.8%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,336	40	3.0%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,331	33	2.5%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,337	75	5.6%	8.2%	4
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,363	79	5.8%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,360	72	5.3%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,358	61	4.5%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,384	50	3.6%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,383	60	4.3%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,385	67	4.8%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,363	51	3.7%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,362	23	1.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,366	79	5.8%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,306	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,306	53	4.1%	3.2%	2
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,314	32	2.4%	4.2%	3
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,309	28	2.1%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,315	24	1.8%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,333	54	4.1%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,327	36	2.7%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,334	30	2.2%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,350	43	3.2%	3.7%	4
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,326	34	2.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,331	26	2.0%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,354	35	2.6%	3.1%	2

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 133 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 106 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 42 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 22 pupils

Physical Disability 11 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 6 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils