Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #5 in Bedford public Top 22% UK

St Thomas More Catholic School

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

personMr Martin Bonner

corporate_fareOUR LADY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST LTD

location_onBedford, MK41 7UL

language Visit Website phone 1234400222

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

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Students

930

trending_up

Attainment 8

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GCSE Rank

#4 in Bedford

#1,357 of 3,216 nationally

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St Thomas More Catholic School is a Academy converter secondary school in Bedford, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

St Thomas More Catholic School is an academy converter in Bedford, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of OUR LADY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST LTD. The school has approximately 929 pupils on roll, of whom 21% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47, placing the school #4 in Bedford and #1,357 of 3,216 nationally. 45.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 18.5% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 22 A-level subjects. 27.3% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 13.0% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.29 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.7× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 6.2 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

45.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)18.5%

Entering EBacc13.90%

EBacc APS3.91

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.31

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14.80%

EBacc APS3.63

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.18

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc21%

EBacc APS3.92

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.32

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS4.28

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.12

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS4.13

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.17

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS3.95

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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)90%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

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

-0.29

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.1%

Achieving A*–A13.0%

Achieving A*–B27.3%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate95.2%

A-level subjects offered22

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.28

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate97.60%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate97.4%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

04 October 2023

Inspection Report

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29 September 2020

Inspection Report

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22 October 2013

Inspection Report

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04 April 2013

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2023-10-04

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2011-02-08

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2007-11-14

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

6.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.6%(43 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 929 pupils. During this period, there were 62 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 6.7%, 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)	929	62	6.7%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	930	53	5.7%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	957	35	3.7%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	944	37	3.9%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	938	18	1.9%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	927	34	3.7%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	930	10	1.1%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	915	11	1.2%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	920	11	1.2%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	920	21	2.3%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	915	7	0.8%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	931	15	1.6%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	932	3	0.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	933	9	1.0%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	971	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	971	6	0.6%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	979	19	1.9%	4.2%	2
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,020	9	0.9%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,034	15	1.5%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,041	10	1.0%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,113	13	1.2%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,125	8	0.7%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,144	13	1.1%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	942	8	0.8%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	945	11	1.2%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	953	4	0.4%	3.1%	3

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.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 24 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 21 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 21 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 13 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 11 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

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St Thomas More 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

Top Secondary Schools in Bedford

Goldington Academy

Sharnbrook Academy

Wixams Academy

Bedford Free School

Lincroft Academy

Castle Newnham School