Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #5 in Leicester public Top 9% UK

St Paul's Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy

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

personMrs Shelley Conaghan

corporate_fareST THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

location_onLeicester, LE5 6HN

language Visit Website phone 1162414057

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2018

groups

Students

1,130

trending_up

Attainment 8

54.5

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GCSE Rank

#2 in Leicester

#514 of 3,216 nationally

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St Paul's Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Leicester, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

St Paul's Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy is an academy converter in Leicester, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of ST THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,144 pupils on roll, of whom 20% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 54.5, placing the school #2 in Leicester and #514 of 3,216 nationally. 57.40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 35.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 20 A-level subjects. 52.8% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 18.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.13 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2018. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 22.4:1. There are 2 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

54.5

Grade 5+ E&M

57.40%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)35.4%

Entering EBacc30.60%

EBacc APS4.63

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.3

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc32.60%

EBacc APS4.28

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc36%

EBacc APS4.28

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.09

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc30%

EBacc APS4.24

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc34%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.17

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS3.79

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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)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

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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

+0.13

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*5.5%

Achieving A*–A18.7%

Achieving A*–B52.8%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate90.8%

A-level subjects offered20

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.08

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate95.20%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

100

Retention rate94.00%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate98.8%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

24 January 2023

Inspection Report

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12 September 2018

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2018-01-16

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-12-15

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

2.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.9%(22 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 1,144 pupils. During this period, there were 23 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.0%, 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)	1,144	23	2.0%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,147	24	2.1%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,096	23	2.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,086	11	1.0%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,090	43	3.9%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,134	26	2.3%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,130	34	3.0%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,136	37	3.3%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,147	21	1.8%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,143	41	3.6%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,145	41	3.6%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,145	34	3.0%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,140	0	0.0%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,141	31	2.7%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,123	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,123	27	2.4%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,125	40	3.6%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,143	9	0.8%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,133	34	3.0%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,133	30	2.6%	3.8%	1

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

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 43 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 32 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 18 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 18 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 16 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 16 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

85.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

93.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

20.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree45%

agree38%

disagree8%

strongly disagree3%

don't know6%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree34%

agree37%

disagree20%

strongly disagree8%

don't know1%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree44%

agree20%

disagree18%

strongly disagree4%

not applicable14%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree48%

agree38%

disagree7%

strongly disagree1%

don't know6%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree55%

agree31%

disagree6%

strongly disagree4%

don't know4%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree51%

agree35%

disagree8%

strongly disagree6%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree44%

agree52%

disagree4%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree45%

agree44%

disagree8%

don't know3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree46%

agree30%

disagree11%

strongly disagree8%

don't know4%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes79%

no21%

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Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Leicester

Madani Girls' School

English Martyrs' Catholic School, A Voluntary Academy

Avanti Fields School

Sir Jonathan North Girls' College

Rushey Mead Academy

Madani Boys School