St Bede's Catholic High School, Ormskirk
St Bede's Catholic High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Ormskirk. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 15th-highest of the 82 schools in Lancashire with published results, and 565th of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was 92% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Bede's Catholic High School in detail
St Bede's Catholic High School in its own words
In its own words: "The Governing Body at St Bede’s are the strategic Catholic leaders of our High School and have a vital role to play in making sure every child gets the best possible education. I am delighted to introduce you to St Bede’s Catholic High School."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Bede's Catholic High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 54, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Lancashire and 47 across England.
59% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Lancashire and 47% in England.
That is down from 55 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.41: pupils made 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 35.6, against 56.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 20.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 19 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.
Getting a place at St Bede's Catholic High School
For September 2026 entry, 176 families put St Bede's Catholic High School as their first choice and 432 named it as one of their preferences, for 133 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 44 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Bede's Catholic High School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Bede's Catholic High School are Ormskirk School (1.2 miles, Attainment 8 42.3); Burscough Priory Academy (3.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.6); Deyes High School (3.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.1); and Maricourt Catholic High School (4.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.6).
St Bede's Catholic High School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Ormskirk SchoolBurscough Priory AcademyDeyes High SchoolMaricourt Catholic High School
What parents say
153 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Bede's Catholic High School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 137 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 40% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
7.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 75 pupils (10.6%) received SEN support and 19 (2.7%) 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 specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Aughton Park Rail Station, about 990 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Bedes RCHS (by), 60 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Bede's Catholic High School issued 42 suspensions, 5.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Bede's Catholic High School are Ormskirk St Anne's Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), Aughton Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (0.5 miles), Ormskirk Asmall Primary School (0.7 miles) and Ormskirk Church of England Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Ormskirk St Anne's Catholic Primary SchoolAughton Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolOrmskirk Asmall Primary SchoolOrmskirk Church of England Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Bede's creates a welcoming, inclusive community where every pupil is valued and feels safe. The school combines strong academic teaching with excellent behaviour and ambitious personal development opportunities. Pupils benefit from personalised pastoral support, enrichment activities, and careers guidance that helps them progress successfully into further education or employment.
Key Strengths
- Excellent behaviour and conduct - pupils are courteous, polite and highly engaged in learning
- Strong pastoral support and well-being programmes that help pupils express their feelings and develop resilience
- Well-designed, broad curriculum with good achievement across subjects, especially for pupils with SEND
- Ambitious personal development programme including careers guidance, community projects, and climate change initiatives
- Clear teaching routines and low levels of disruption in lessons
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers lack effective teaching strategies to give pupils sufficient practice and time to apply new knowledge
- School's quality assurance processes do not always measure the impact of actions taken
- Reading support programmes are at an early stage and not helping some pupils catch up quickly enough with peers
- Some leaders need more expertise to accurately evaluate their areas of work
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Role-playing club, gardening club, chamber choir, sports, Year 10 reading leaders programme, mock Conference of the Parties climate change event, local community projects
St Bede's Catholic High School is a secondary comprehensive school where pupils are proud to attend and feel safe to be themselves. The school has improved from its previous 'Requires improvement' rating, with all key areas now judged as 'Good'.
At a Glance
7.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
153 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.41 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 53.9 to 54.0 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 63% to 59% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 54.0 | 58.9% |
| Disadvantaged(15) | - | 35.6 | 20% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(126) | - | 56.2 | 63.5% |
| Boys(69) | - | 56.4 | 66.7% |
| Girls(72) | - | 51.8 | 51.4% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(139) | - | 54.4 | 59.7% |
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) - 137 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.14%
Exclusion rate
42
Suspensions
5.95%
Suspension rate
30 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 706 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from St Bede's Catholic High School
Summer Term Newsletter 2026
28 Jul 2026
Spring Term Newsletter 2026
13 Apr 2026
Autumn Term Newsletter 2025
5 Jan 2026
Summer Newsletter 2025
21 Jul 2025
Year 6 Parents Meeting - September 2025
21 Jul 2025
Easter Newsletter
7 May 2025
From St Bede's Catholic High School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Bede's Catholic High School
Term dates
St Bede's Catholic High School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lancashire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Bede's Catholic High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Bede's Catholic High School is in Lancashire; for families living there:
- Lancashire's school travel policy: school transport policies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 9 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
3 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 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 St Bede's Catholic High School
Will you get a place at St Bede's Catholic High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Bede's Catholic High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Bede's Catholic High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Bede's Catholic High School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Bede's Catholic High School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lancashire 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
92%
Near capacity
709 pupils
774 places
65 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ormskirk
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ormskirk
Across Lancashire council
Places available
14,702
Applications
13,782
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All secondary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
75
SEN Support
19
EHC Plans
13.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
709
Total Pupils
344
Boys
365
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
44
Teachers
16.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,610
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,496
Per pupil
£4736k
Total funding
£44k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.7%
Overall absence
14.7%
Persistent absence
719
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
Questions parents ask about St Bede's Catholic High School
What are GCSE results like at St Bede's Catholic High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Bede's Catholic High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 54. 59% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Bede's Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?
St Bede's Catholic High School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Bede's Catholic High School?
No fixed boundary. When St Bede's Catholic High School is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Bede's Catholic High School?
St Bede's Catholic High School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 774 places.
How big are the classes at St Bede's Catholic High School?
Classes at St Bede's Catholic High School average 24.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Bede's Catholic High School?
St Bede's Catholic High School has around 709 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Bede's Catholic High School?
6.7% of sessions were missed at St Bede's Catholic High School in 2024/25. 14.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Bede's Catholic High School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Bede's Catholic High School 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 St Bede's Catholic High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 9 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 3 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Bede's Catholic High School?
St Bede's Catholic High School is at St Anne's Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 4TA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)