St Boniface's RC College, Plymouth
St Boniface's RC College is a secondary school for boys aged 11 to 16 in Plymouth, part of Plymouth Cast. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 16th-highest of the 19 schools in Plymouth with published results, and 2,901st of 3,298 across England. It was 42% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Plymouth (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Boniface's RC College in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Boniface's RC College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.3 in Plymouth and 47 across England.
27% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Plymouth and 47% in England.
That is down from 39 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.28: 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 32.3, against 40.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 16 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Religious Studies and Sports Studies.
Getting a place at St Boniface's RC College
For September 2026 entry, 60 families put St Boniface's RC College as their first choice and 143 named it as one of their preferences, for 61 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 St Boniface's RC College
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Boniface's RC College are Eggbuckland Community College (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 44.5); All Saints Church of England Academy (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 36.5); Sir John Hunt Community Sports College (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 43.1); and Sir John Hunt Community Sports College (1 mile).
St Boniface's RC College's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Eggbuckland Community CollegeAll Saints Church of England AcademySir John Hunt Community Sports CollegeSir John Hunt Community Sports College
The trust
St Boniface's RC College is one of 34 schools run by Plymouth Cast, an academy trust.
What parents say
54 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Boniface's RC College (as of September 2025): 89% would recommend the school, 89% say their child is happy there and 74% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (74%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 66 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 65% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
37.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 12.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Asian (6%).
In 2026, 77 pupils (19.8%) received SEN support and 29 (7.5%) 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 Plymouth Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Boniface College (n-bound), 120 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Boniface's RC College issued 85 suspensions, 21.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Boniface's RC College are Manadon Vale Primary School (0.2 miles), Widey Court Primary School (0.3 miles), Eggbuckland Vale Primary School (0.8 miles) and Pennycross Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Manadon Vale Primary SchoolWidey Court Primary SchoolEggbuckland Vale Primary SchoolPennycross Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Boniface's College excels at creating a warm, family-like community where pupils feel genuinely safe and cared for. The school has worked hard to improve its curriculum and is seeing real results, with more pupils achieving well. Beyond academics, the school does excellent work developing confident, resilient young people through trips, sports, charity work and teaching them about different faiths and cultures.
Key Strengths
- Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a safe, caring environment where pupils feel supported
- Curriculum is now more ambitious with clearer identification of important knowledge, leading to higher achievement at key stage 4
- Effective promotion of reading with robust support for pupils who have fallen behind
- Calm, orderly school with improved behaviour and attendance
- Comprehensive careers programme from Year 7 helping pupils prepare for their futures
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent delivery of curriculum across the school - some lessons lack purpose and ambition, meaning pupils don't deepen their knowledge or make connections
- Teachers don't always check pupils' understanding before moving to new content or independent work, allowing misconceptions to persist
- Some pupils' written work lacks care and accuracy because expectations are not consistently high enough
- Need to ensure all staff use effective teaching strategies so pupils learn well across all subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports competitions, trips, positions of responsibility, charity fundraising, reading groups, mentoring support
St Boniface's RC College is a secondary school for boys where the quality of education requires improvement, though behaviour, attitudes, personal development and leadership are all rated as good. The school has a warm family atmosphere and is making progress on curriculum improvements, but teaching delivery remains inconsistent across subjects.
At a Glance
37.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
54 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 improved from -0.63 to -0.28 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 36.6 to 37.8 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 27% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 37.8 | 26.7% |
| Disadvantaged(24) | - | 32.3 | 16.7% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(51) | - | 40.4 | 31.4% |
| Boys(75) | - | 37.8 | 26.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(11) | - | 35.6 | 18.2% |
| Non mobile(70) | - | 38.3 | 27.1% |
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) - 66 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.77%
Exclusion rate
85
Suspensions
21.68%
Suspension rate
24 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 392 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with St Boniface's RC College
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Boniface's RC College from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Boniface's RC College is in Plymouth; for families living there:
Apply to Plymouth for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 34
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 34 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 31 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
11 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 Plymouth is 22 (the median across 107 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 Boniface's RC College
Will you get a place at St Boniface's RC College? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Boniface's RC College's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Boniface's RC College:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Boniface's RC College.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Plymouth, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Boniface's RC College for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Plymouth 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
42%
Available places
391 pupils
929 places
538 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Plymouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Plymouth
Across Plymouth council
Places available
3,165
Applications
2,761
Got 1st preference
91.7%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All secondary applications across Plymouth council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
77
SEN Support
29
EHC Plans
27.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
389
Total Pupils
389
Boys
0
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
24
Teachers
16.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,604
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,964
Per pupil
£3309k
Total funding
£135k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.0%
Overall absence
30.3%
Persistent absence
413
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
St Boniface's RC College
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Questions parents ask about St Boniface's RC College
What are GCSE results like at St Boniface's RC College?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Boniface's RC College achieved an Attainment 8 score of 37.8. 27% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Boniface's RC College's Ofsted rating?
St Boniface's RC College's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for St Boniface's RC College?
No fixed boundary. When St Boniface's RC College is oversubscribed, Plymouth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Boniface's RC College?
St Boniface's RC College was not full in 2025: it ran at 42% of its 929 places.
How big are the classes at St Boniface's RC College?
Classes at St Boniface's RC College average 23.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Boniface's RC College?
St Boniface's RC College has around 389 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Boniface's RC College?
10% of sessions were missed at St Boniface's RC College in 2024/25. 30.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Boniface's RC College?
Apply through Plymouth's coordinated admissions process, naming St Boniface's RC College 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 Boniface's RC College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 34 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 31 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 11 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 Plymouth is 22 (the median across 107 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Boniface's RC College?
St Boniface's RC College is at 21 Boniface Lane, Crownhill, Plymouth, Devon, PL5 3AG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)