St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy, Bradford

Ofsted's report card from its 19 May 2026 inspection grades St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy on 7 areas: 1 strong standard and 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Post 16 provision - Strong standard. "The sixth form at this school is inspiring."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils achieve qualifications that help them move onto the next stage of learning or work."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have high expectations for pupils' attendance and behaviour."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders provide pupils with a rich, balanced, and inclusive curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have thought about how the curriculum meets each pupil's needs."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, trustees, and governors are united by a shared and ambitious vision for the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders at this school prioritise pupils' personal development and wellbeing."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to work closely with families, carers, and outside agencies to continue to improve and sustain pupils attendance"; "Leaders should continue to ensure that the school's expectations for what every lesson should include are deeply embedded in all subjects so that effective teaching is consistent across the school and leads to high outcome for all pupils in national assessments over time".

In 2026, pupils at St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 42.6 in Bradford and 47 across England.

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

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 44.5.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.15: pupils made 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 37.7, against 48.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 28 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 297 families put St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 665 named it as one of their preferences, for 283 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 50 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy are Bradford Girls' Grammar School (0.9 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 46.8); Oasis Academy Lister Park (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 35.7); Beckfoot Upper Heaton (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 36.4); and Belle Vue Girls' Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.4).

St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy is one of 19 schools run by Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 294 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 27% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 163 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 67% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 11% into work. 24% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

27.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (34%), Asian (20%) and Black (17%).

In 2026, 323 pupils (17.9%) received SEN support and 34 (1.9%) 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 Frizinghall Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Bede's & St Joseph's College (opposite), 60 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy issued 220 suspensions, 12.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy are Heaton St Barnabas' CofE Aided Primary School (0.2 miles); Margaret McMillan Primary School (0.3 miles); St Cuthbert and the First Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy (0.4 miles); and Carlton Mills (0.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.