St John Henry Newman Catholic School, Carlisle

Ofsted's report card from its 16 June 2026 inspection grades St John Henry Newman Catholic School on 7 areas: 7 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Needs attention. "Typically, pupils' attainment and progress in national examinations at the end of key stages 4 and 5 are below the national average."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Over time, many pupils have not attended school regularly enough."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "In recent years, leaders have strengthened the curriculum across all subjects and year groups."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Leaders do not consistently check that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive help they most need."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Historically, leaders have not taken action quickly enough to address the areas of weakness in school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Leaders have not implemented an appropriate programme for personal development and wellbeing in the sixth form."

Post-16 provision - Needs attention. "Historically, students do not achieve well in national examinations at the end of key stage 5."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should establish rigorous systems to monitor the impact of their actions and use this information to drive improvements across all areas"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive timely and effective support to enable them to learn successfully"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers swiftly identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge"; "Leaders should continue to refine the personal development programme, especially for students in the sixth form, so that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain"; "Governors should strengthen their systems for checking on the quality of the provision, so that they have the information required to offer effective challenge across all areas of the school".

Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at St John Henry Newman Catholic School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 40.4 in Cumberland and 47 across England.

27% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 32% in Cumberland and 47% in England.

That is down from 41 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.69: 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 30, against 44.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 126 families put St John Henry Newman Catholic School as their first choice and 247 named it as one of their preferences, for 114 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 17 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St John Henry Newman Catholic School are Richard Rose Central Academy (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.4); Trinity School (1.7 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 39.4); Richard Rose Morton Academy (3.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 41.5); and Caldew School (4.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.5).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than St John Henry Newman Catholic School.

Of the 95 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 75% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 46% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 8% into work.

Of the 25 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 56% went on to university or other higher education and 24% into work.

34.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Carlisle Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Junior School (opposite), 70 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 182 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cumberland (22), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St John Henry Newman Catholic School issued 16 suspensions, 2.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to St John Henry Newman Catholic School are Pennine Way Primary School (0.2 miles); Inglewood Junior School (0.4 miles); Inglewood Infant School (0.5 miles); and St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School, Carlisle (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.