Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy, Lancaster

In its own words: "At Ripley we have a deep sense of Christian community; this is expressed not only in the way we live out our lives together but in our collective worshipping life. Each member of the school community begins their day experiencing a time of prayer, thoughtfulness and personal reflection with their year group or in their form."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance, chess and debating.

In 2026, pupils at Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Lancashire and 47 across England.

55% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Lancashire and 47% in England.

That is down from 50.7 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.6: pupils made well 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 40.3, against 50.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 353 families put Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy as their first choice and 917 named it as one of their preferences, for 289 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 77 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy are Lancaster Girls' Grammar School (0.5 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 72.1); Lancaster Royal Grammar School (0.7 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 71.6); Our Lady's Catholic College (1.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 41.1); and Lancaster High School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.8).

Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy is one of 6 schools run by The Bay Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.2 in 2024/25.

Of the 273 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 32% to a further education college, 7% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 128 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 46% went on to university or other higher education, 13% to apprenticeships and 27% into work. 26% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

10.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 8.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 268 pupils (15.3%) received SEN support and 39 (2.2%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.

The nearest railway station is Lancaster Rail Station, about 1110 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ripley St Thomas School (opposite), 130 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 367 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy issued 197 suspensions, 11.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy are Bowerham Primary & Nursery School (0.4 miles); Lancaster Dallas Road Community Primary School (0.5 miles); Scotforth St Paul's Church of England Primary and Nursery School (0.6 miles); and The Cathedral Catholic Primary School, Lancaster (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.