St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy, Buxton

Requires Improvement
Secondary
Academy converter
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 1116

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr David Redfern
Pupils:407 / 450 capacity
LA:Derbyshire
Phone:0129823167
Address:Palace Fields, Buxton, SK17 6AF
Trust:ST RALPH SHERWIN CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open
Opened:1 September 2018

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 4 years ago
Requires Improvement

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Requires Improvement

Behaviour & Attitudes

Requires Improvement

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Inspected 10 January 2023
URN:146128
UKPRN:10080989
Diocese:Diocese of Nottingham
Constituency:High Peak
Urban/Rural:Urban: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its January 2023 inspection — down from Good.

Areas Ofsted flagged

Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Personal development (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).

A plain-English summary of the full inspection report is coming soon.

At a Glance

33.4%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

113 responses
Would recommend81%
Child is happy92%
Well taught87%
Good progress81%
Feels safe94%
Well behaved76%
Bullying dealt with24%
Kept informed80%
Handles concerns60%
Wider development74%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

22.7

Avg class size

17

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Buxton Rail Station
207m · 3 min walk

Bus Stops

Lascelles Road (SE-bound)
91m · 1 min walk
Lansdowne Road (SW-bound)
129m · 2 min walk
St Annes School (Adj)
184m · 3 min walk
Ladycroft (Adj)
230m · 4 min walk
Railway Station (Opp)
253m · 4 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

90%

Near capacity

407 pupils

450 capacity

43 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Buxton

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,199
Projected new pupils:216

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Buxton

Admissions Demand - Derbyshire

Low demand0.90x oversubscription

Places available

8,811

Applications

7,963

Got 1st preference

95.4%

Got preferred school

99.1%

Secondary admissions across Derbyshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(2)

10 January 2023
Requires Improvement
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
16 May 2013
Good
Leadership & ManagementGood

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

8.31014%

Overall absence

23.1982%

Persistent absence

444

Enrolments

Authorised5.5279%
Unauthorised2.78224%
Persistent (10%+)23.1982%
Severe (50%+)4.05405%

Absence trend

4.4836%
18/19
4.71%
20/21
8.44538%
21/22
7.24917%
22/23
8.00583%
23/24
8.31014%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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