The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School, Stevenage
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Stevenage, part of The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the highest of the 6 schools in Stevenage with published results, and 450th of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 109% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- 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 Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School in detail
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to the Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School. We are a Catholic comprehensive school for students aged between 11-18, with high ambitions and expectations for all. We aim to create experiences for students to develop their passions and interests to enable them to fulfil their God given potential. We are a unique community."
Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Hertfordshire
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 55.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 50.6 in Hertfordshire and 47 across England.
60% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 53% in Hertfordshire and 47% in England.
That is down from 57.9 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.72: 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 40.5, against 57.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 17.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.
Getting a place at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School
For September 2026 entry, 290 families put The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School as their first choice and 577 named it as one of their preferences, for 219 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 74 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School are The Thomas Alleyne Academy (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.9); Barclay Academy (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48); Marriotts School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.8); and The Nobel School (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49).
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
The Thomas Alleyne AcademyBarclay AcademyMarriotts SchoolThe Nobel School
The trust
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School is one of 15 schools run by The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 54.5 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 241 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 96% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 18% to a further education college and 0% to an apprenticeship.
Of the 194 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 62% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 19% into work. 32% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
8.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 28.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (42%), Black (19%) and Asian (12%).
In 2026, 171 pupils (10.6%) received SEN support and 68 (4.2%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Stevenage Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is John Henry Newman School Grounds (outside), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 237 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School issued 71 suspensions, 4.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School are Letchmore Infants' and Nursery School (0.7 miles), Almond Hill Junior School (0.7 miles), Woolenwick Junior School (0.7 miles) and Woolenwick Infant and Nursery School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Letchmore Infants' and Nursery SchoolAlmond Hill Junior SchoolWoolenwick Junior SchoolWoolenwick Infant and Nursery 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 January 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are proud to be at this school. They are confident, courteous and their behaviour is exemplary. They thrive academically. Pupils benefit from the wide range of opportunities that the school provides such as the School Parliament, Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme and a wide range of clubs, including sport, drama and music. Pupils involve themselves enthusiastically with leadership opportunities. They know that the school listens to their ideas. This means that pupils grow in confidence and feel committed to their school community.
Pupils benefit from carefully planned lessons. Classrooms are calm and purposeful places to study. Pupils are studious and eager to learn. They want to do well. They work hard to reach the very high expectations their teachers have of them.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has designed a curriculum that is well planned and builds on pupils' previous learning. Teachers receive regular, high-quality training. This ensures they have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum. Teachers know their pupils well. This helps them to provide the support pupils need to be successful. Pupil achievement in national exams is exceptionally high.
The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with great precision. Teachers use information about how best to support pupils with SEND effectively. They assess what pupils know and can do throughout lessons. They use this information to effectively adapt their teaching. This helps pupils with SEND achieve exceptionally well.
From Ofsted's July 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 Good at its January 2015 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
8.6%
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 remained stable at around 0.72 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 57.3 to 55.7 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 65% to 60% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 55.7 | 59.8% |
| Disadvantaged(26) | - | 40.5 | 26.9% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(208) | - | 57.6 | 63.9% |
| Boys(124) | - | 52.0 | 52.4% |
| Girls(110) | - | 59.8 | 68.2% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(69) | - | 61.3 | 69.6% |
| Non mobile(232) | - | 55.9 | 59.9% |
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) - 241 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.12%
Exclusion rate
71
Suspensions
4.42%
Suspension rate
47 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,605 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Social & online
Keep up with The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School
Term dates
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 32
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 27 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
3 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 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 The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School
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- Applications, first choices and offers at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire 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
109%
Over capacity
1,605 pupils
1,470 places
135 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Stevenage
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stevenage
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
15,222
Applications
13,456
Got 1st preference
77.5%
Got preferred school
94.9%
All secondary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
171
SEN Support
68
EHC Plans
14.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,620
Total Pupils
839
Boys
781
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
91
Teachers
17.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£60,206
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,703
Per pupil
£8364k
Total funding
£127k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.5%
Overall absence
12.8%
Persistent absence
1,222
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
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School
What are GCSE results like at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 55.7. 60% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School's Ofsted rating?
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?
No fixed boundary. When The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School was full in 2025, at 109% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?
Classes at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School average 25.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School has around 1620 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?
5.5% of sessions were missed at The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School in 2024/25. 12.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Saint John Henry Newman 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 The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 27 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 3 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School?
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School is at Hitchin Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 4AE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)