Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy, Prescot
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Prescot, part of Pope Francis Catholic Multi Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 6th-highest of the 6 schools in Knowsley with published results, and 3,198th of 3,298 across England. It was 71% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Knowsley (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 32.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 36.2 in Knowsley and 47 across England.
32% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 26% in Knowsley and 47% in England.
That is up from 30.2 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -1.01: 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 26.8, against 39.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.5 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Religious Studies and Hospitality and Catering.
Getting a place at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy
For September 2026 entry, 74 families put Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy as their first choice and 197 named it as one of their preferences, for 193 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy are Rainhill High School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.3); The Prescot School (1.5 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 35.1); Lord Derby Academy (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 34.3); and The Sutton Academy (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.5).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy.
Rainhill High SchoolThe Prescot SchoolLord Derby AcademyThe Sutton Academy
The trust
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy is one of 7 schools run by Pope Francis Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 118 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 61% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
48.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 187 pupils (25.6%) received SEN support and 28 (3.8%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Whiston Rail Station, about 880 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Edmund Arrowsmith Academy (inside), 100 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy issued 735 suspensions, 97.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy are St Luke's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles), Whiston Willis Primary Academy (0.4 miles), St Leo's and Southmead Catholic Primary School Serving the Community (0.6 miles) and Longton Lane Community Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Luke's Catholic Primary SchoolWhiston Willis Primary AcademySt Leo's and Southmead Catholic Primary School Serving the CommunityLongton Lane Community Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its April 2024 inspection.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Personal development (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
48.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -1.11 to -1.01 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 33.9 to 32.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 23% to 32% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 32.6 | 31.5% |
| Disadvantaged(66) | - | 26.8 | 25.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(58) | - | 39.3 | 37.9% |
| Boys(58) | - | 28.5 | 25.9% |
| Girls(66) | - | 36.3 | 36.4% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(16) | - | 51.2 | 62.5% |
| Non mobile(115) | - | 32.9 | 31.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 118 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
5
Permanent exclusions
0.66%
Exclusion rate
735
Suspensions
97.09%
Suspension rate
186 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 757 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy
Term dates
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Knowsley's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy is in Knowsley; for families living there:
Apply to Knowsley for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 14 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Knowsley is 14 (the median across 63 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy
Will you get a place at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy.
- Knowsley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Knowsley got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
71%
Available places
750 pupils
1,050 places
300 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Prescot
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Prescot
Across Knowsley council
Places available
1,290
Applications
1,828
Got 1st preference
78.1%
Got preferred school
93.5%
All secondary applications across Knowsley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
187
SEN Support
28
EHC Plans
29.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
730
Total Pupils
373
Boys
357
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
41
Teachers
17.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,797
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£10,266
Per pupil
£8393k
Total funding
£417k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
16.2%
Overall absence
47.8%
Persistent absence
785
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy
What are GCSE results like at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 32.6. 32% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy is oversubscribed, Knowsley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy?
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 1050 places.
How big are the classes at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy?
Classes at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy average 24.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy?
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy has around 730 pupils on roll. 49% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy?
16.2% of sessions were missed at Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy in 2024/25. 47.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy?
Apply through Knowsley's coordinated admissions process, naming Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 14 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Knowsley is 14 (the median across 63 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy?
Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy is at Cumber Lane, Whiston, Prescot, Merseyside, L35 2XG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)