Academy converter

Blessed William Howard Catholic School

Mixed · ages 11–18 · with sixth form · Roman CatholicStaffordshire, West Midlands · Stafford ST17 9ABTrust: St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy TrustSchool website
Pupils on roll
950of 1,065 places
Free school meals
22.7%
Year 11 cohort 2025
164
Ofsted
School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next, 22 May 2024Read the Ofsted report

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Blessed William Howard Catholic School (URN 124455, until 1 August 2015).

What the data says

Of the 151 pupils who finished Year 11 at Blessed William Howard Catholic School in 2023, 42% stayed on in Blessed William Howard Catholic School’s own sixth form (Staffordshire average 33%), 50% went to a further education college and 3% started an apprenticeship.

Among the 31 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 52% went to university (Staffordshire 33%, England 37%), and 17% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.

Spanish is unusually popular at GCSE: 73% of the year group took it, against 19% of pupils across England.

GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 52.0 against 46.1 across England and 43.9 in Staffordshire, with 52% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).

Where pupils went after Year 11

Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Staffordshire and England.

This school
Staffordshire
England
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureThis schoolStaffordshireEngland
Pupils in the cohort1519,264607,348
Any sustained destination97%92%92%
Stayed in education92%84%86%
— school sixth form42%33%34%
— sixth form college0%3%13%
— further education college50%46%37%
— other education1%2%2%
Apprenticeship3%5%3%
Employment2%3%3%
No sustained destination3%6%6%
Destination unknown1%2%3%

Where students went after sixth form

Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.

This school
Staffordshire
England
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureThis schoolStaffordshireEngland
Students in the cohort317,985541,441
Any sustained destination94%81%79%
University (higher education)52%33%37%
— most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students17%11%19%
Further education0%4%5%
Apprenticeship0%11%7%
Employment35%33%28%
No sustained destination6%14%16%

GCSE results 2025

MeasureThis schoolStaffordshireEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)52.043.946.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths52%40%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths75%62%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects74%33%41%
EBacc average point score4.673.784.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort25%23%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils44.932.934.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils54.447.150.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)
English as an additional language11%8%19%

Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.

Subjects taken at GCSE

Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
Mathematics164100%88%20%22%78%
English Language16399%89%25%20%80%
English Literature16299%86%25%21%83%
Religious Studies16198%31%42%32%81%
Combined Science13582%65%8%9%68%
Spanish11973%19%15%27%63%
History9357%41%33%26%74%
Geography7345%41%14%25%59%
Business Studies4427%18%23%20%86%
Food Preparation and Nutrition3220%8%22%21%78%
Design and Technology2817%11%21%23%82%
Biology2716%23%59%45%96%
Chemistry2716%23%63%47%96%
Physics2616%23%38%46%100%
Art and Design2314%7%26%24%91%
Computer Science2314%13%39%30%78%
Music159%5%53%33%100%
Polish95%1%89%84%100%
Russian11%0%87%
Arabic11%1%47%
Chinese11%1%75%
Dance11%1%27%
French11%18%29%
Italian11%0%53%
Turkish11%0%71%

Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Sports Studies61100%
Multimedia58100%
Art and Design1735%
Speech and Drama1531%
Computer Appreciation / Introduction1327%

A levels and other level 3 courses

MeasureThis schoolStaffordshireEngland
Students at the end of 16–18 study91
— of whom A level students492,938261,341
Average A level gradeCC+B-
Average points per A level entry31.4633.4335.00
Average grade, best 3 A levelsC+C+B-
AAB or better with two facilitating subjects5%14%18%
Average grade, applied general courses
Average grade, T levels

A level subjects

Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Religious Studies2041%4%
English Language and Literature1939%2%
Mathematics1939%31%
Biology1531%20%
Economics1327%13%
History1020%13%
Psychology918%23%
Chemistry714%17%
Physics714%12%
Art and Design612%1%
Further Mathematics5%
Geography10%
French1%
Computer Science5%
Sociology13%
Business Studies13%

Applied, technical and other level 3 courses

SubjectQualificationEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Study SkillsExtended Project (Diploma)3878%
Sports StudiesOCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3714%
MathematicsGCE AS level (All)
MathematicsGCE AS level (Not continued to A2)
Social ScienceVRQ Level 3

Other secondary schools in Staffordshire

Abbot Beyne School

Voluntary controlled school · sixth form · 834 pupils

87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.4

Alleyne's Academy

Academy converter · sixth form · 846 pupils

90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.7

Biddulph High School

Academy converter · sixth form · 746 pupils

84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 43.3

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.