Ofsted: Inadequate trending_up Places Available emoji_events #10 in Sefton public Top 32% UK

Sacred Heart Catholic Academy

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

personMr Mark O'Hagan

corporate_farePOPE FRANCES MULTI ACADEMY TRUST LIMITED

location_onLiverpool, L23 5TF

phone 1519312971

verified

Ofsted

Inadequate

Inspected 2024

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Students

981

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Attainment 8

42.4

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GCSE Rank

#10 in Sefton

#2,189 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Sacred Heart Catholic Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Liverpool, serving ages 11-18. Currently rated Inadequate by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Sacred Heart Catholic Academy is an academy sponsor led in Liverpool, Sefton, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of POPE FRANCES MULTI ACADEMY TRUST LIMITED. The school has approximately 653 pupils on roll, of whom 33% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.4, placing the school #10 in Sefton and #2,189 of 3,216 nationally. 38.20% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 14.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 4 A-level subjects. 21.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B. A-level value added: -0.14 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Inadequate. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement, personal development Requires improvement, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.4× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 20.7:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 14.7 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

42.4

Grade 5+ E&M

38.20%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)14.7%

Entering EBacc11.80%

EBacc APS3.53

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.75

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14.10%

EBacc APS3.26

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.57

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc9%

EBacc APS3.42

2022

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

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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

91%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment0%

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

-0.14

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*–B21.4%

VA Banding Average

A-level subjects offered4

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.27

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate94.10%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate95.70%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

15 October 2024

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2024-10-15

Academy First Section 5 EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2021-10-06

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Inadequate

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Inadequate

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Inadequate

2018-09-19

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

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

14.4%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

6.9%(45 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 653 pupils. During this period, there were 94 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 14.4%, which is above 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)	653	94	14.4%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	657	98	14.9%	7.8%	3
2023/24 (Summer term)	803	101	12.6%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	821	148	18.0%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	829	107	12.9%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	970	46	4.7%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	981	64	6.5%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	989	36	3.6%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	0	13	-	4.7%	0

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 36 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 23 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 11 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 7 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 6 pupils

Physical Disability 6 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

Visual 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.

78.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

84.0%Positive

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

15.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree43%

agree31%

disagree14%

strongly disagree8%

don't know4%

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

strongly agree40%

agree32%

disagree17%

strongly disagree11%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree40%

agree14%

disagree14%

strongly disagree12%

not applicable21%

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

yes31%

no69%

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

strongly agree34%

agree24%

disagree7%

strongly disagree31%

dont know3%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree48%

agree29%

disagree6%

strongly disagree7%

don't know8%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree52%

agree27%

disagree11%

strongly disagree5%

don't know5%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree49%

agree21%

disagree19%

strongly disagree8%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree39%

agree44%

disagree9%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree57%

agree35%

disagree2%

strongly disagree2%

don't know4%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree45%

agree21%

disagree17%

strongly disagree8%

don't know8%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes76%

no24%

Top Secondary Schools in Sefton

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Formby High School

Good

location_on Liverpool, L37 3HW

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Birkdale High School

Good

location_on Southport, PR8 3DT

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Greenbank High School

Good

location_on Southport, PR8 2LT

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Chesterfield High School

Good

location_on Liverpool, L23 9YB

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Meols Cop High School

Good

location_on Southport, PR8 6JS

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Range High School

Good

location_on Liverpool, L37 2YN

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View all schools in Sefton 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 Sefton

Formby High School

Birkdale High School

Greenbank High School

Chesterfield High School

Meols Cop High School

Range High School