SCHOOL PROFILE

The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial RC School

Secondary Academy converter URN 141931
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 922 Published school capacity
Capacity used 112.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

15 April 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Strong standard
Achievement Exceptional
Attendance & behaviour Exceptional
Personal development Exceptional
Leadership & governance Exceptional
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

16 November 2021
Graded inspection Outstanding
Published 17 January 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Boys
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Kensington and Chelsea
Trust SAINT JOHN SOUTHWORTH CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,034 1,034 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 153 14.8% of pupils
Male pupils 881 85.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

15.9%
8.9 pts below England
School 15.9%
Kensington and Chelsea 20.3%
London 26.3%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

46.2%
25.9 pts above England
School 46.2%
Kensington and Chelsea 24.7%
London 39.2%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.6%
0.4 pts below England
School 0.6%
Kensington and Chelsea 0.2%
London 0.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
26.8%
277
Any other White background
25.6%
265
African
11.6%
120
Any other ethnic group
7.7%
80
Any other Mixed background
6.9%
71
Irish
5.2%
54
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 17.5% 181 of 1,034 pupils
3.3 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 17.5%
Kensington and Chelsea 19.8%
London 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 12.1% 125 pupils
England 14.8% 2.7 pts below
EHC plans 5.4% 56 pupils
England 6.0% 0.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 39
Autistic spectrum disorder 37
Speech, language & communication 32
Specific learning difficulty 31
Moderate learning difficulty 23
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

67.2 28.0 pts above England
School 67.2
Kensington and Chelsea 35.2
London 42.1
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 80.2% England 36.0% 44.2 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 94.4% England 51.4% 43.0 pts above England
EBacc entry 31.0% England 30.6% 0.4 pts above England
EBacc average point score 5.87 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 1.00 · 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

5.30%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.92 pts lower than England
School 5.30%
Kensington and Chelsea 6.79%
London 6.38%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

11.65%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

4.17 pts lower than England
School 11.65%
Kensington and Chelsea 19.29%
London 17.60%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.24%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.56 pts lower than England
School 1.24%
Kensington and Chelsea 1.82%
London 1.67%
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

112.1% 19.8 pts above England
The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial RC School
112.1%
Kensington and Chelsea
101.1%
London
91.3%
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