Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #6 in Reading public Top 22% UK

Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School

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

personDr Simon Uttley

location_onReading, RG30 3EP

language Visit Website phone 1189574730

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

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Students

994

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Attainment 8

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GCSE Rank

#5 in Reading

#1,557 of 3,216 nationally

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Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School is a Voluntary aided school secondary school in Reading, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.0×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School is a voluntary aided school in Reading, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 1,045 pupils on roll, of whom 21% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46, placing the school #5 in Reading and #1,557 of 3,216 nationally. 39.20% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 13.5% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 19 A-level subjects. 43.2% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 14.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.07 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.0× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 4.1 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

Grade 5+ E&M

39.20%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)13.5%

Entering EBacc42.50%

EBacc APS4.05

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39.70%

EBacc APS3.95

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.12

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc43%

EBacc APS4.16

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc41%

EBacc APS4.22

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.03

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS3.72

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.13

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc9%

EBacc APS3.59

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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

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

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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

-0.07

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.2%

Achieving A*–A14.7%

Achieving A*–B43.2%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate97.2%

A-level subjects offered19

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.29

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate95.30%

2023

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate90.90%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

13 September 2023

Inspection Report

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26 September 2017

Inspection Report

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21 November 2012

Inspection Report

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16 September 2009

Inspection Report

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13 September 2006

Inspection Report

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07 October 2002

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2017-09-26

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2012-11-21

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2009-09-16

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

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

4.4%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.3%(35 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

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 1,045 pupils. During this period, there were 46 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.4%, 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)	1,045	46	4.4%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,056	41	3.9%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,014	37	3.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,022	34	3.3%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,024	21	2.1%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	990	18	1.8%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	994	25	2.5%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	991	16	1.6%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	951	10	1.1%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	949	5	0.5%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	950	9	0.9%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	907	19	2.1%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	908	7	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	904	10	1.1%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	863	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	863	9	1.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	864	11	1.3%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	814	13	1.6%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	815	9	1.1%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	815	9	1.1%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	847	10	1.2%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	852	12	1.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	849	9	1.1%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	885	18	2.0%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	881	26	3.0%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	885	15	1.7%	3.1%	0

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.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 65 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 35 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 35 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 21 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 9 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 6 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

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