SCHOOL PROFILE

St Paul's Catholic College

Secondary Academy converter URN 148753
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,050 Published school capacity
Capacity used 110.5% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

28 February 2023
Latest published outcome Outstanding
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 Mixed
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority West Sussex
Trust BOSCO CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,160 1,160 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 559 48.2% of pupils
Male pupils 601 51.8% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

7.3%
17.5 pts below England
School 7.3%
Mid Sussex 9.7%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

12.9%
7.4 pts below England
School 12.9%
Mid Sussex 7.8%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.7%
0.3 pts below England
School 0.7%
Mid Sussex 0.6%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
59.2%
687
Indian
9.2%
107
Any other White background
7.8%
91
White and Asian
5.0%
58
Any other Asian background
4.1%
48
African
2.8%
33
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 18.7% 217 of 1,160 pupils
2.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 18.7%
Mid Sussex 23.4%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 16.3% 189 pupils
England 14.8% 1.5 pts above
EHC plans 2.4% 28 pupils
England 6.0% 3.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 76
Social, emotional & mental health 32
Autistic spectrum disorder 25
Other difficulty or disability 24
Speech, language & communication 20
Physical disability 14

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

55.5 16.3 pts above England
School 55.5
Mid Sussex 29.2
South East 38.5
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 63.5% England 36.0% 27.5 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 87.3% England 51.4% 35.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 75.1% England 30.6% 44.5 pts above England
EBacc average point score 5.13 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.53 · 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

5.80%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.42 pts lower than England
School 5.80%
Mid Sussex 5.63%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

12.83%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

2.98 pts lower than England
School 12.83%
Mid Sussex 12.94%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.14%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.34 pts higher than England
School 2.14%
Mid Sussex 1.42%
South East 1.93%
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

110.5% 18.2 pts above England
St Paul's Catholic College
110.5%
Mid Sussex
94.5%
South East
95.0%
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