St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy, Dewsbury

In 2026, pupils at St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 34.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Kirklees and 47 across England.

28% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Kirklees and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 34.8.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.99: pupils made well 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 26.2, against 41 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 117 families put St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 286 named it as one of their preferences, for 166 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 John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy are Westborough High School (0.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.1); Manor Croft Academy (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.9); Heckmondwike Grammar School (1.4 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 78.9); and Upper Batley High School (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.4).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy.

St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy is one of 15 schools run by The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.6 in 2024/25.

51 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy (as of September 2025): 75% would recommend the school, 77% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (82%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).

Of the 187 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 80% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 58% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 44 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 34% went on to university or other higher education, 5% to apprenticeships and 21% into work.

44.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 31.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (53%), Asian (25%) and Mixed (6%).

In 2026, 85 pupils (8.6%) received SEN support and 20 (2%) 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 Dewsbury Rail Station, about 710 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St. John Street, 230 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St John Fisher Catholic 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 August 2026, police recorded 372 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kirklees (153), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy issued 1737 suspensions, 187.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 7 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy are St John’s CE Primary School (0.3 miles), Westmoor Primary School (0.4 miles), St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy (0.5 miles) and Carlton Junior and Infant School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.