Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Places Available emoji_events #7 in Leeds public Top 7% UK

St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy

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

personMiss Margaret Hattersley

corporate_fareTHE BISHOP WHEELER CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST

location_onIlkley, LS29 6AE

language Visit Website phone 1943883000

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

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Students

1,228

trending_up

Attainment 8

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GCSE Rank

#7 in Leeds

#477 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Ilkley, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade.

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School Summary

St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy is an academy converter in Ilkley, Leeds, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE BISHOP WHEELER CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,213 pupils on roll, of whom 8% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 55, placing the school #7 in Leeds and #477 of 3,216 nationally. 59.90% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 31.3% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 25 A-level subjects. 48.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 20.3% at A*–A. A-level value added: 0.09 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

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

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.1 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

59.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)31.3%

Entering EBacc74.50%

EBacc APS5.1

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.41

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc74.40%

EBacc APS5.21

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.56

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc74%

EBacc APS5.20

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.35

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc73%

EBacc APS5.19

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc73%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.41

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc60%

EBacc APS5.1

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.42

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc49%

EBacc APS4.93

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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

97%

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

Apprenticeships5%

EmploymentSP%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

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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

+0.09

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*6.5%

Achieving A*–A20.3%

Achieving A*–B48.4%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate100.0%

A-level subjects offered25

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.16

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate98.90%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

109

Retention rate94.50%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

108

Retention rate97.2%

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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01 March 2013

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

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2014-11-25

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2008-09-29

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

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

2.4%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.3%(16 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 1,213 pupils. During this period, there were 29 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.4%, 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
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,213	29	2.4%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,212	45	3.7%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,198	31	2.6%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,195	22	1.8%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,195	16	1.3%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,226	10	0.8%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,228	5	0.4%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,235	2	0.2%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,263	8	0.6%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,260	19	1.5%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,263	2	0.2%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,268	11	0.9%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,268	6	0.5%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,271	14	1.1%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,246	4	0.3%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,246	7	0.6%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,248	11	0.9%	4.2%
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,243	14	1.1%	3.1%
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,244	15	1.2%	3.8%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,251	9	0.7%	3.8%
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,190	19	1.6%	3.4%
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,196	8	0.7%	3.0%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,199	12	1.0%	3.7%
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,168	12	1.0%	3.0%
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,173	11	0.9%	3.3%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,182	13	1.1%	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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 58 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 37 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 22 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 13 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 12 pupils

Hearing Impairment 6 pupils

Physical Disability 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

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St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy

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

Top Secondary Schools in Leeds

Horsforth School

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School

Boston Spa Academy

Abbey Grange Church of England Academy

Roundhay School

The Morley Academy