Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #2 in Blackpool public Top 34% UK

St Mary's Catholic Academy

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

personHead not listed

corporate_fareTHE BLESSED EDWARD BAMBER CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

location_onBlackpool, FY3 7EQ

language Visit Website phone 1253396286

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

1,199

trending_up

Attainment 8

41.5

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GCSE Rank

#2 in Blackpool

#2,324 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

St Mary's Catholic Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Blackpool, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.2×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

St Mary's Catholic Academy is an academy converter in Blackpool, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE BLESSED EDWARD BAMBER CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,184 pupils on roll, of whom 37% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.5, placing the school #2 in Blackpool and #2,324 of 3,216 nationally. 28.80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 11.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 19 A-level subjects. 39.6% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 17.4% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.19 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. 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.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.2× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 8 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.5 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

41.5

Grade 5+ E&M

28.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)11.8%

Entering EBacc11.50%

EBacc APS3.37

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.7

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc7.30%

EBacc APS3.32

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.76

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc8%

EBacc APS3.17

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.61

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc4%

EBacc APS3.47

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.25

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13%

EBacc APS3.6

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.12

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13%

EBacc APS3.69

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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

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment4%

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

-0.19

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*5.6%

Achieving A*–A17.4%

Achieving A*–B39.6%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate96.4%

A-level subjects offered19

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.17

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate94.90%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate98.40%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate97.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

10 May 2022

Inspection Report

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21 March 2017

Inspection Report

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01 September 2014

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2022-05-10

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2017-03-21

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2011-11-16

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2008-10-01

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

3.3%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.1%(25 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

5pupils

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 1,184 pupils. During this period, there were 39 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.3%, 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)	1,184	39	3.3%	7.3%	5
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,186	45	3.8%	7.8%	3
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,204	38	3.2%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,205	42	3.5%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,207	55	4.6%	8.2%	3
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,196	44	3.7%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,199	70	5.8%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,205	63	5.2%	5.9%	3
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,204	63	5.2%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,212	51	4.2%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,219	42	3.4%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,217	45	3.7%	3.6%	3
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,225	21	1.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,238	24	1.9%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,201	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,201	41	3.4%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,210	28	2.3%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,188	35	2.9%	3.1%	2
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,199	53	4.4%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,194	27	2.3%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,163	22	1.9%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,176	23	2.0%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,190	37	3.1%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,187	38	3.2%	3.0%	3
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,196	33	2.8%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,207	23	1.9%	3.1%	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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 52 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 42 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 42 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 13 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 6 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

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St Mary's Catholic 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 Blackpool

St George's School A Church of England Academy

Montgomery Academy

Armfield Academy

Blackpool Aspire Academy

Highfield Leadership Academy

Unity Academy Blackpool