SCHOOL PROFILE

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School

Secondary Voluntary aided school URN 104714
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,394 Published school capacity
Capacity used 96.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

27 January 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Strong standard
Personal development Strong standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

28 September 2021
Graded inspection Good
Published 11 November 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Voluntary aided school
Phase Secondary
Gender Boys
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Liverpool
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,338 1,338 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 22 1.6% of pupils
Male pupils 1,316 98.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

31.5%
6.7 pts above England
School 31.5%
Liverpool 34.5%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

6.4%
13.9 pts below England
School 6.4%
Liverpool 22.1%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.4%
0.6 pts below England
School 0.4%
Liverpool 0.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
85.1%
1,138
Any other White background
2.7%
36
Any other Black background
2.2%
29
Any other Mixed background
1.9%
26
Any other Asian background
1.7%
23
African
1.6%
22
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 30.6% 410 of 1,338 pupils
9.8 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 30.6%
Liverpool 26.7%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 24.3% 325 pupils
England 14.8% 9.5 pts above
EHC plans 6.4% 85 pupils
England 6.0% 0.3 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 166
Autistic spectrum disorder 150
Specific learning difficulty 42
Speech, language & communication 22
Physical disability 11
No specialist assessment yet 8

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

40.9 1.7 pts above England
School 40.9
Liverpool 35.5
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 28.8% England 36.0% 7.2 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 55.4% England 51.4% 4.0 pts above England
EBacc entry 10.4% England 30.6% 20.2 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.18 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.41 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.59%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.37 pts higher than England
School 7.59%
Liverpool 7.19%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

22.40%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

6.59 pts higher than England
School 22.40%
Liverpool 19.97%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.72%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.09 pts lower than England
School 1.72%
Liverpool 2.08%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

96.0% 3.7 pts above England
Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School
96.0%
Liverpool
91.7%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information