St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Birmingham
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Birmingham, part of Lumen Christi Catholic Multi Academy Company. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 19th-highest of the 91 schools in Birmingham with published results, and 863rd of 3,298 across England. It was 95% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Birmingham (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.5 in Birmingham and 47 across England.
54% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Birmingham and 47% in England.
That is up from 49.9 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.6: pupils made well 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 44.1, against 57.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.5 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Art and Design.
Getting a place at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
For September 2026 entry, 176 families put St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School as their first choice and 823 named it as one of their preferences, for 209 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 9 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School are King Edward VI King's Norton School for Boys (0.5 miles, Attainment 8 48.1); Kings Norton Girls' School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 51.4); Bournville School (1 mile, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 37.5); and Ark Kings Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.9).
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
King Edward VI King's Norton School for BoysKings Norton Girls' SchoolBournville SchoolArk Kings Academy
The trust
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is one of 9 schools run by Lumen Christi Catholic Multi Academy Company, an academy trust.
All 9 schools in Lumen Christi Catholic Multi Academy Company
Where pupils go next
Of the 200 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 28% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Of the 64 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 66% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 11% into work. 19% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
46.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 202 pupils (16.9%) received SEN support and 12 (1%) 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 Kings Norton Rail Station, about 1120 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Westcroft Grove (opposite), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School issued 144 suspensions, 12.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School are Wychall Primary School (0.2 miles), Fairway Primary Academy (0.4 miles), St Laurence Church Infant School (0.7 miles) and St Laurence Church Junior School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Wychall Primary SchoolFairway Primary AcademySt Laurence Church Infant SchoolSt Laurence Church Junior 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; 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 November 2018, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2018 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is a mixed Catholic secondary school in Kings Norton, Birmingham, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
46.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from 0.17 to 0.60 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 48.0 to 50.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 47% to 54% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 50.9 | 53.7% |
| Disadvantaged(95) | - | 44.1 | 42.1% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(95) | - | 57.6 | 65.3% |
| Boys(101) | - | 49.7 | 53.5% |
| Girls(89) | - | 52.2 | 53.9% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(45) | - | 58.8 | 66.7% |
| Non mobile(188) | - | 51.0 | 54.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 6 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 200 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
144
Suspensions
12.10%
Suspension rate
86 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,190 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
Term dates
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Birmingham's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is in Birmingham; for families living there:
- How to apply: Travel passes for 5 to 16 year olds
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 11 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 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 Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
Will you get a place at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School.
- Birmingham publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School for 2016 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Birmingham 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
95%
Near capacity
1,172 pupils
1,239 places
67 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Birmingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Birmingham
Across Birmingham council
Places available
14,956
Applications
14,483
Got 1st preference
75.7%
Got preferred school
97.4%
All secondary applications across Birmingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
202
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
17.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,193
Total Pupils
630
Boys
563
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
75
Teachers
15.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£57,125
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,948
Per pupil
£9006k
Total funding
£546k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
21.1%
Persistent absence
1,080
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 Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
What are GCSE results like at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 50.9. 54% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School's Ofsted rating?
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
No fixed boundary. When St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is oversubscribed, Birmingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
Classes at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School average 22.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School has around 1193 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
7% of sessions were missed at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in 2024/25. 21.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
Apply through Birmingham's coordinated admissions process, naming St Thomas Aquinas Catholic 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 Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 11 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is at Wychall Lane, Kings Norton, Birmingham, West Midlands, B38 8AP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)