St Gregory's Catholic School, Tunbridge Wells
St Gregory's Catholic School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Tunbridge Wells, part of Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 5th-highest of the 6 schools in Tunbridge Wells with published results, and 1,864th of 3,298 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 6 days
Deadline Monday 2 November 2026. Apply to Kent (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Gregory's Catholic School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Gregory's Catholic School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 48.1 in Kent and 47 across England.
47% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Kent and 47% in England.
That is up from 43.8 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.17: 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 28.8, against 48.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 19.4 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.
Getting a place at St Gregory's Catholic School
For September 2026 entry, 136 families put St Gregory's Catholic School as their first choice and 599 named it as one of their preferences, for 176 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 13 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Gregory's Catholic School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Gregory's Catholic School are Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys (under 0.1 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 64.5); Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 72.5); The Skinners' School (0.6 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 72.7); and Bennett Memorial Diocesan School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 53.4).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than St Gregory's Catholic School.
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for BoysTunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar SchoolThe Skinners' SchoolBennett Memorial Diocesan School
The trust
St Gregory's Catholic School is one of 33 schools run by Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership, an academy trust.
What parents say
128 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Gregory's Catholic School (as of September 2025): 86% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 76% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (76%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 230 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 32% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Of the 121 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 40% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 35% into work. 10% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
In 2026, 55 pupils (5%) received SEN support and 30 (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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
St Gregory's Catholic School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is High Brooms Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Southfields Park (opposite), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Gregory's Catholic School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Gregory's Catholic School issued 315 suspensions, 26.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Gregory's Catholic School are St Augustine's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles), Southborough CofE Primary School (0.4 miles), St John's Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles) and St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Augustine's Catholic Primary SchoolSouthborough CofE Primary SchoolSt John's Church of England Primary SchoolSt Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2013, 13 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
Sixth Form
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
The school, in its mission to ensure that 'every pupil is known and loved', has created a warm and welcoming environment for pupils. Teachers get to know pupils well, and they have high ambitions for their success. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and those who attend the St Francis de Sales Centre for the Deaf, are well supported. As a result, pupils are happy and achieve well.
The trust has a clear vision for school improvement and has taken decisive action to bring stability to the school, including significantly raising expectations for behaviour and attendance. This has had a transformational impact on the school. Pupils behave well in classrooms and corridors. Teachers use the school's behaviour systems effectively and have created a culture where positive relationships are important. As a result, pupils are courteous and respectful. They feel safe, and their learning is rarely interrupted.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's curriculum is broad and ambitious for all pupils. The school has identified the key content and concepts that pupils should learn, and the curriculum is carefully sequenced to ensure that knowledge builds in a logical order over time. As a result, most pupils, and students in the sixth form, achieve well and gain the skills, knowledge, and qualifications needed for their next steps. For some disadvantaged pupils, and sixth-form students studying vocational subjects, the school is working to further develop how it helps them to ensure that they receive the support they need to achieve as well as their peers.
The school knows that reading is a barrier to learning for many pupils. Assessments are used to identify pupils at the earlier stages of learning to read who need help. These pupils benefit from expert support to catch up. However, the school is still developing its wider approach, to ensure all pupils are supported to become confident, and fluent readers, and develop a love for reading.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its October 2013 inspection - up from Good.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
About
St Gregory's Catholic School is an 11–18 mixed, Roman Catholic, secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. It was established in 1966 and is part of the Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
20.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Hearing
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
128 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 0.17 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 47.4 to 44.8 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 51% to 47% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 44.8 | 46.5% |
| Disadvantaged(32) | - | 28.8 | 18.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(153) | - | 48.2 | 52.3% |
| Boys(126) | - | 45.7 | 50% |
| Girls(59) | - | 43.0 | 39% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(46) | - | 54.5 | 69.6% |
| Non mobile(179) | - | 44.9 | 46.9% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 4 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 230 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.25%
Exclusion rate
315
Suspensions
26.76%
Suspension rate
125 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,177 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with St Gregory's Catholic School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Gregory's Catholic School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Gregory's Catholic School is in Kent; for families living there:
Apply to Kent for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 18
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 13 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
5 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 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 Gregory's Catholic School
Will you get a place at St Gregory's Catholic School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Gregory's Catholic School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Gregory's Catholic School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Gregory's Catholic School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kent, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Gregory's Catholic School for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kent 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
93%
Near capacity
1,181 pupils
1,273 places
92 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Tunbridge Wells
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Tunbridge Wells
Across Kent council
Places available
19,539
Applications
18,644
Got 1st preference
78.9%
Got preferred school
96.2%
All secondary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
55
SEN Support
30
EHC Plans
7.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
St Gregory's Catholic School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,093
Total Pupils
650
Boys
443
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
62
Teachers
17.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,211
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,907
Per pupil
£6911k
Total funding
£220k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.6%
Overall absence
25.2%
Persistent absence
1,000
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 Gregory's Catholic School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about St Gregory's Catholic School
What are GCSE results like at St Gregory's Catholic School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Gregory's Catholic School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 44.8. 47% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Gregory's Catholic School's Ofsted rating?
St Gregory's Catholic School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Gregory's Catholic School?
No fixed boundary. When St Gregory's Catholic School is oversubscribed, Kent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Gregory's Catholic School?
St Gregory's Catholic School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 1273 places.
How big are the classes at St Gregory's Catholic School?
Classes at St Gregory's Catholic School average 24.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Gregory's Catholic School?
St Gregory's Catholic School has around 1093 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
Does St Gregory's Catholic School have specialist SEN provision?
St Gregory's Catholic School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment.
What is attendance like at St Gregory's Catholic School?
8.6% of sessions were missed at St Gregory's Catholic School in 2024/25. 25.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Gregory's Catholic School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming St Gregory's Catholic School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Monday 2 November 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near St Gregory's Catholic School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 13 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 5 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Gregory's Catholic School?
St Gregory's Catholic School is at Reynolds Lane, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9XL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)