Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #16 in Bradford public Top 29% UK

St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy

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

personMr Lawrence Bentley

corporate_fareBLESSED CHRISTOPHER WHARTON CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST

location_onBradford, BD9 4BQ

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2019

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Attainment 8

44.5

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GCSE Rank

#13 in Bradford

#1,824 of 3,216 nationally

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St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Bradford, 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 Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy is an academy converter in Bradford, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of BLESSED CHRISTOPHER WHARTON CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,794 pupils on roll, of whom 27% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.5, placing the school #13 in Bradford and #1,824 of 3,216 nationally. 45.30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 17.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 21 A-level subjects. 49.0% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 16.6% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.18 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. 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 18.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 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

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

44.5

Grade 5+ E&M

45.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)17.6%

Entering EBacc8.70%

EBacc APS3.51

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48.60%

EBacc APS4

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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)89%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

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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

+0.18

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.2%

Achieving A*–A16.6%

Achieving A*–B49.0%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate94.7%

A-level subjects offered21

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.02

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate93.40%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

06 September 2023

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2019-09-26

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2017-05-23

None EIF

Requires improvement

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

4.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.0%(54 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

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 1,794 pupils. During this period, there were 76 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.2%, 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)	1,794	76	4.2%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,801	50	2.8%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,784	154	8.6%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,784	119	6.7%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,800	56	3.1%	8.2%	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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 106 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 83 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 73 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 46 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 29 pupils

Physical Disability 12 pupils

Hearing Impairment 8 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 6 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 pupils