Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up High Demand emoji_events #1 in Kensington and Chelsea public Top 3% UK

The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial RC School

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

personMr Paul Stubbings

corporate_fareSAINT JOHN SOUTHWORTH CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST

location_onLondon, W14 8BZ

language Visit Website phone 2076038478

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2021

groups

Students

1,033

trending_up

Attainment 8

67.2

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GCSE Rank

#1 in Kensington and Chelsea

#134 of 3,216 nationally

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The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial RC School is a Academy converter secondary school in London, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Highly competitive: 1.8× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

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School Summary

The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial RC School is an academy converter in London, Kensington and Chelsea, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of SAINT JOHN SOUTHWORTH CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,024 pupils on roll, of whom 18% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 67.2, placing the school #1 in Kensington and Chelsea and #134 of 3,216 nationally. 80.20% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 54.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 27 A-level subjects. 76.3% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 45.6% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.14 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2021. 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.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.8× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 12.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.0 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

67.2

Grade 5+ E&M

80.20%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)54.0%

Entering EBacc31.00%

EBacc APS5.87

2024

Progress 8 Score

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

67.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc28.20%

EBacc APS5.83

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.86

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

65.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc45%

EBacc APS5.91

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.56

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

63.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc32%

EBacc APS5.57

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc44%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.51

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

62.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc38%

EBacc APS5.59

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.68

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

65.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48%

EBacc APS5.96

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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

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)98%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships0%

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

-0.14

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B+

Students

176

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*16.3%

Achieving A*–A45.6%

Achieving A*–B76.3%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate98.9%

A-level subjects offered27

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.02

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B+

Students

190

Retention rate99.50%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

185

Retention rate98.40%

2022

Avg Grade

A-

Students

174

Retention rate98.9%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

16 November 2021

Inspection Report

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08 April 2015

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2021-11-16

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2006-09-13

Section 5 RTI (Sep06 - Aug07) Historic 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

1.3%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.2%(12 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 1,024 pupils. During this period, there were 13 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.3%, 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)	1,024	13	1.3%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,026	8	0.8%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,025	11	1.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,022	10	1.0%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,028	19	1.8%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,028	11	1.1%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,033	18	1.7%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,036	11	1.1%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,031	2	0.2%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,027	14	1.4%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,024	7	0.7%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,006	9	0.9%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,008	5	0.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,008	11	1.1%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,005	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,005	15	1.5%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,008	23	2.3%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	990	15	1.5%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	994	17	1.7%	3.8%	3
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,000	19	1.9%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	966	7	0.7%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	969	9	0.9%	3.0%	4
2017/18 (Autumn term)	976	22	2.3%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	955	13	1.4%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	958	9	0.9%	3.3%	2
2016/17 (Autumn term)	959	17	1.8%	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 34 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 34 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 29 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 28 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 24 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 2 pupils