English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Hartlepool

From the headteacher's welcome: "It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to The English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College and an honour to have been appointed Head of School in September 2025."

In 2026, pupils at English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 42.1 in Hartlepool and 47 across England.

44% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Hartlepool and 47% in England.

That is up from 41.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.57: pupils made well below 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 37.4, against 47.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 212 families put English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College as their first choice and 479 named it as one of their preferences, for 233 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College are High Tunstall College of Science (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 39.5); Manor Community Academy (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.3); Dyke House Sports and Technology College (1.6 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 46.3); and St Hild's Church of England School (2.4 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 36.1).

English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College is one of 35 schools run by Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.1 in 2024/25.

149 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College (as of September 2025): 48% would recommend the school, 64% say their child is happy there and 47% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (75%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (46%).

Of the 253 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 59% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 53 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 70% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 9% into work. 21% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

36.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 7.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 196 pupils (13.8%) received SEN support and 28 (2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Hartlepool Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is English Martyrs School (c), 30 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 462 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hartlepool (287), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College issued 937 suspensions, 63.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 19 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College are Rift House Primary School (0.2 miles); Kingsley Primary School (0.3 miles); Eldon Grove Academy (0.5 miles); and St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.