St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy, St. Helens

In its own words: "Welcome to our school, where “In Faith We Grow” is more than a motto, it is the heart of everything we do. Rooted in the teachings of Christ and guided by the Gospel, our Catholic mission nurtures a community where faith, learning, and love flourish together."

From the headteacher's welcome: "We belong to a community of Catholic schools across the world, which are rooted in the traditions and heritage of Catholic education."

In 2026, pupils at St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.9 in St. Helens and 47 across England.

34% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in St. Helens and 47% in England.

That is up from 42.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.05: pupils made about 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 39.8, against 49.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 84 families put St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy as their first choice and 225 named it as one of their preferences, for 96 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 St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy are St Cuthbert's Catholic Academy (1.1 miles); St Cuthbert's Catholic High School (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 33.9); Outwood Academy Haydock (1.3 miles, Attainment 8 42.9); and Cowley International College (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.3).

St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 3 of them.

St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy is one of 11 schools run by St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

34 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy (as of September 2025): 62% would recommend the school, 68% say their child is happy there and 47% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (85%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (47%).

Of the 103 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 84% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 52% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

50.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is St Helens Central Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Blackbrook Road (adjacent), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy 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 237 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in St. Helens (144), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy issued 267 suspensions, 48.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 8 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy are St. Mary's Blackbrook Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles), Ashurst Primary School (0.5 miles), Merton Bank Primary School (0.5 miles) and Allanson Street Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.