SCHOOL PROFILE

Sacred Heart Catholic High School

Secondary Academy converter URN 137708
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,405 Published school capacity
Capacity used 101.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

3 December 2024
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Outstanding
Behaviour & attitudes Outstanding
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Outstanding
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Girls
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Newcastle upon Tyne
Trust BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,424 1,424 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 1,424 100.0% of pupils
Male pupils 0 0.0% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

39.8%
15.0 pts above England
School 39.8%
Newcastle upon Tyne 39.8%
North East 32.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

26.2%
5.9 pts above England
School 26.2%
Newcastle upon Tyne 25.7%
North East 10.0%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

4.2%
3.2 pts above England
School 4.2%
Newcastle upon Tyne 0.5%
North East 0.9%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
46.6%
664
African
11.5%
164
Pakistani
6.5%
92
Any other White background
4.7%
67
Any other Asian background
4.6%
66
Indian
4.2%
60
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 17.1% 243 of 1,424 pupils
3.8 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 17.1%
Newcastle upon Tyne 21.6%
North East 22.6%
England 20.8%
SEN support 14.8% 211 pupils
England 14.8% 0.0 pts above
EHC plans 2.3% 32 pupils
England 6.0% 3.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 91
Specific learning difficulty 45
Moderate learning difficulty 35
Autistic spectrum disorder 33
Speech, language & communication 25
Hearing impairment 5

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

52.1 12.9 pts above England
School 52.1
Newcastle upon Tyne 38.0
North East 36.8
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 53.6% England 36.0% 17.6 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 76.8% England 51.4% 25.4 pts above England
EBacc entry 36.2% England 30.6% 5.6 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.40 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.54 · 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

9.54%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

3.33 pts higher than England
School 9.54%
Newcastle upon Tyne 6.84%
North East 6.28%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

26.36%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

10.54 pts higher than England
School 26.36%
Newcastle upon Tyne 17.84%
North East 16.04%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.94%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.14 pts higher than England
School 3.94%
Newcastle upon Tyne 2.25%
North East 1.83%
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

101.4% 9.0 pts above England
Sacred Heart Catholic High School
101.4%
Newcastle upon Tyne
86.4%
North East
87.2%
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