Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #35 in Hertfordshire public Top 12% UK

Saint Michael's Catholic High School

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

personMr Edward Conway

corporate_fareTHE DIOCESE OF WESTMINSTER ACADEMY TRUST

location_onWatford, WD25 0SS

language Visit Website phone 1923673760

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

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Students

1,127

trending_up

Attainment 8

50.9

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GCSE Rank

#35 in Hertfordshire

#827 of 3,216 nationally

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Saint Michael's Catholic High School is a Academy converter secondary school in Watford, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.0×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Saint Michael's Catholic High School is an academy converter in Watford, Hertfordshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE DIOCESE OF WESTMINSTER ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,121 pupils on roll, of whom 16% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 50.9, placing the school #35 in Hertfordshire and #827 of 3,216 nationally. 50.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 22.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 21 A-level subjects. 52.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 22.4% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.29 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

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 19.3:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.1 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

50.9

Grade 5+ E&M

50.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)22.8%

Entering EBacc48.90%

EBacc APS4.6

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.13

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc36.80%

EBacc APS4.5

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc23%

EBacc APS4.65

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.32

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc23%

EBacc APS4.79

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.05

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18%

EBacc APS4.19

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc30%

EBacc APS4.32

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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)91%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

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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

-0.29

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.8%

Achieving A*–A22.4%

Achieving A*–B52.4%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate100.0%

A-level subjects offered21

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.2

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate96.80%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

04 February 2025

Inspection Report

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25 November 2014

Inspection Report

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10 August 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-02-04

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2014-11-25

Exempt School Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2007-10-18

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

1.9%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.5%(17 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,121 pupils. During this period, there were 21 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.9%, 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
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,121	21	1.9%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,122	26	2.3%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,107	33	3.0%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,106	32	2.9%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,110	28	2.5%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,123	35	3.1%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,127	31	2.8%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,129	35	3.1%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,121	20	1.8%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,123	25	2.2%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,125	14	1.2%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,090	28	2.6%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,090	5	0.5%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,089	27	2.5%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,065	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,065	31	2.9%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,069	53	5.0%	4.2%
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,073	30	2.8%	3.1%
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,076	46	4.3%	3.8%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,074	49	4.6%	3.8%
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,108	31	2.8%	3.4%
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,108	51	4.6%	3.0%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,109	27	2.4%	3.7%
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,128	30	2.7%	3.0%
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,133	36	3.2%	3.3%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,138	51	4.5%	3.1%

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 29 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 29 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 27 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 20 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 14 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 13 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils