Blessed William Howard Catholic School, Stafford

From the headteacher's welcome: "As the Executive Principal, I am proud and honoured to welcome you to Blessed William Howard Catholic High School. We welcome all students into a happy and thriving learning community, with a real commitment and strength in working in partnership. I take the trust that parents place in me to care, guide and educate every child at BWH very seriously."

In 2026, pupils at Blessed William Howard Catholic School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 55.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.7 in Staffordshire and 47 across England.

57% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 39% in Staffordshire and 47% in England.

That is up from 52 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.41: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 38.4, against 60 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 21.6 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Spanish.

For September 2026 entry, 208 families put Blessed William Howard Catholic School as their first choice and 409 named it as one of their preferences, for 184 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 30 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Blessed William Howard Catholic School are King Edward VI High School (0.4 miles, Attainment 8 39.9); Stafford Manor High School (1 mile, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 35.3); Stafford Manor High School (1 mile); and Sir Graham Balfour High School (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.7).

Blessed William Howard Catholic School's 2026 results were higher than all 3 of them.

Blessed William Howard Catholic School is one of 64 schools run by St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 173 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 61% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 35 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 49% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 34% into work. 13% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

The nearest railway station is Stafford Rail Station, about 440 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).

3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rowley Avenue (adjacent), 240 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Blessed William Howard Catholic School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 479 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Staffordshire (86), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Blessed William Howard Catholic School issued 76 suspensions, 7.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Blessed William Howard Catholic School are St Paul's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles), St Austin's Catholic Primary School and Nursery (0.5 miles), Rowley Park Primary Academy (0.6 miles) and Blessed Mother Teresa's Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.