Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #2 in West Sussex public Top 7% UK

St Paul's Catholic College

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

personMr Rob Carter

corporate_fareBOSCO CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST

location_onBurgess Hill, RH15 8GA

language Visit Website phone 1444873898

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

1,128

trending_up

Attainment 8

55.5

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#2 in West Sussex

#437 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

St Paul's Catholic College is a Academy converter secondary school in Burgess Hill, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.4×) — apply through your local authority on time.

article

School Summary

St Paul's Catholic College is an academy converter in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of BOSCO CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 1,190 pupils on roll, of whom 9% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 55.5, placing the school #2 in West Sussex and #437 of 3,216 nationally. 63.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 26.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 28 A-level subjects. 55.5% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 28.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: 0.04 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. 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 1.4× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.2:1. There are no current 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

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

55.5

Grade 5+ E&M

63.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)26.7%

Entering EBacc75.10%

EBacc APS5.13

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.53

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc76.40%

EBacc APS5.32

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.66

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS4.86

explore

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

98%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

workspace_premium

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

+0.04

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*9.2%

Achieving A*–A28.7%

Achieving A*–B55.5%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate99.0%

A-level subjects offered28

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.03

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate95.30%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate93.70%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

28 February 2023

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

11 January 2022

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2023-02-28

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2007-11-07

Section 5 RTI Historic EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

1.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.1%(13 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 1,190 pupils. During this period, there were 20 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.7%, 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
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,190	20	1.7%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,191	30	2.5%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,164	17	1.5%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,168	20	1.7%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,173	12	1.0%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,130	17	1.5%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,128	16	1.4%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,124	14	1.2%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,112	14	1.3%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,115	10	0.9%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,110	10	0.9%	4.4%

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

accessibility_new

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 83 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 31 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 24 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 23 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 23 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 17 pupils

Physical Disability 15 pupils

Hearing Impairment 7 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

health_and_safety

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.

92.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

94.0%Positive

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

18.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree55%

agree37%

disagree3%

strongly disagree2%

don't know3%

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

strongly agree48%

agree37%

disagree9%

strongly disagree3%

don't know3%

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

strongly agree35%

agree19%

disagree11%

strongly disagree6%

don't know1%

not applicable27%

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

yes22%

no78%

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

strongly agree48%

agree20%

disagree20%

strongly disagree10%

dont know2%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree64%

agree28%

disagree5%

don't know2%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree52%

agree38%

disagree6%

strongly disagree2%

don't know1%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree51%

agree41%

disagree5%

strongly disagree2%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree51%

agree41%

disagree5%

strongly disagree2%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree58%

agree38%

disagree4%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree48%

agree29%

disagree11%

strongly disagree6%

don't know6%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes89%

no11%

Top Secondary Schools in West Sussex

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Downlands Community School

Good

location_on Hassocks, BN6 8LP

emoji_events #1 in LA

St Oscar Romero Catholic School

Good

location_on Worthing, BN12 5AF

emoji_events #3 in LA

Shoreham Academy

Outstanding

location_on Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 6YT

emoji_events #4 in LA

Tanbridge House School

Outstanding

location_on Horsham, RH12 1SR

emoji_events #5 in LA

St Philip Howard Catholic School

Outstanding

location_on Bognor Regis, PO22 0EN

emoji_events #6 in LA

Bishop Luffa School, Chichester

Outstanding

location_on Chichester, PO19 3HP

emoji_events #7 in LA

View all schools in West Sussex arrow_forward

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 West Sussex

Downlands Community School

St Oscar Romero Catholic School

Shoreham Academy

Tanbridge House School

St Philip Howard Catholic School

Bishop Luffa School, Chichester