St Catherine's Catholic School Review 2026: High-performing Catholic girls’ secondary in Bexleyheath

A girls’ school where faith and academic ambition sit side by side, with a clear emphasis on purposeful learning and strong routines. The GCSE picture is a major draw, an Attainment 8 score of 55.8 and Progress 8 of 0.75 indicate students, on average, achieve well above typical outcomes from similar starting points. The school’s FindMySchool GCSE ranking places it 756th in England and 2nd locally in Bexleyheath, which translates to performance comfortably within the top 25% of secondary schools in England.

Leadership is stable and clearly presented on the school’s own site, with Nicola Thompson as Headteacher, listed as starting her term from 01 September 2021.

For families considering Year 7 entry for September 2026, the administrative detail matters. Bexley’s coordinated admissions window opens 01 September 2025 and closes 31 October 2025, with offers made on 02 March 2026.

The school frames its identity through Catholic life and a values-led approach. Its history is rooted in La Sainte Union, with the Bexleyheath school opening in 1953, and the wider congregation’s educational mission traced to Father Jean Baptiste Debrabant. This context is not treated as a footnote; it is used to explain why the school talks so explicitly about spiritual development alongside academic progress.

Catholic practice is presented in practical, day-to-day terms rather than abstract language. The school describes itself as a praying community, with Mass and a liturgical calendar shaping the rhythm of the year, including Year 7 welcome Mass and retreat activities early in the first term.

Pastoral structures also show through in the way student life is organised. A house system is prominent in school communications, and the house names visible across the site include Adele, Frances, Cecilia, and Angela. The point is not the branding, it is what it enables, a framework for belonging, recognition, and routine across an 11 to 16 intake.

The headline story is strong, particularly for a non-selective state school. At GCSE level, Attainment 8 is 55.8 compared with an England average of 45.9, and the school’s EBacc average point score is 5.05 compared with an England average of 4.08. Progress 8 sits at 0.75, which indicates substantially above-average progress across eight subjects.

Rankings are also positive. Ranked 756th in England and 2nd in Bexleyheath for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits above England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

What this tends to mean in practice is that outcomes are not driven only by a small top set. A Progress 8 figure at this level usually reflects consistent teaching and assessment across departments, careful intervention, and a culture where students are expected to complete the basics well, attendance, punctuality, and homework routines. The school itself foregrounds punctuality and a structured day, which aligns with the academic profile.

Curriculum breadth is clearly signposted, with subject pages spanning core subjects and a range of options that go beyond the minimum. The site lists, among others, Computer Science, Psychology, Astronomy, Media Studies, Business Studies, and Child Development alongside the usual GCSE foundations.

A useful indicator of intent is that Astronomy is not merely an aspirational label. It appears both as a curriculum area and as a timetabled enrichment activity for older year groups, suggesting there is staffing capacity and a real student take-up rather than a one-off club.

The best way to interpret the school’s academic profile is to treat it as structured and exam-aware, without being narrowly limited to grades. Intervention time appears before school in the enrichment timetable, including Art intervention and Maths help slots, which signals a willingness to use time outside the standard day for targeted support. For students who benefit from clear scaffolding and regular check-ins, this kind of provision can be a genuine advantage.

This is an 11 to 16 school, so the main transition is post-16. The school does not publish destination statistics in the available official dataset provided here, so families should treat this as a decision requiring local research: sixth form colleges, school sixth forms, and apprenticeship routes can all be sensible options depending on the student and the family’s travel tolerance.

A practical step is to map realistic travel times now rather than relying on assumptions. Shortlisting post-16 options early also helps students choose GCSE subjects with a clearer sense of what they may want to study at 16.

Admissions are coordinated through Bexley’s secondary transfer process, with the application window for September 2026 entry opening on 01 September 2025 and closing on 31 October 2025. Offers are made on 02 March 2026.

For this school, families should also plan for faith-related documentation. The school states that applicants under faith-based criteria must complete a Supplementary Information Form, and the school’s published admissions policy for September 2026 entry sets a deadline of Friday 31 October 2025 for that form as well.

Oversubscription is the default expectation, and the admissions policy sets a planned admission number of 210 for September 2026 entry. If you are trying to judge the practical likelihood of a place, use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check your home-to-school distance and compare it with recent allocation patterns for similar Bexley schools, then pressure-test your assumptions against the school’s criteria, siblings, staff-child priority, and distance tie-breaks.

Open events can be a helpful reality check for families deciding whether the ethos fits. The school advertises an Open Evening on Thursday 02 October 2025, including headteacher talks.

Pastoral care is presented as a core strength, tied closely to Catholic identity and daily practice. The school explicitly links student wellbeing and mental health to leadership priorities in its latest inspection documentation, and the overall culture described is one where pupils feel safe and know who to approach if they are worried.

Support also shows up in the timetable architecture. Lunchtime and after-school provision includes chaplaincy sessions by year group and meditation sessions for different years, which provides structured space for reflection, decompression, and quiet support during the week.

One balancing point for families is that clear expectations tend to suit some students better than others. For students who like routine, predictability, and consistent follow-through, the combination of strong pastoral language and strong academic metrics can be an excellent fit. For students who find busy, highly structured environments draining, the best next step is to ask specific questions at open events about wellbeing support, homework load, and how the school responds when a student is overwhelmed.

Extracurricular provision is unusually specific in the school’s published timetable, which helps families move beyond generic claims. At lunchtime, opportunities include chaplaincy sessions by year group, a foodbank activity, and a KS3 Book and Craft Club based in the library.

After school, the programme blends sport, creative arts, and academic extension. On the sport side, badminton runs for all year groups, football appears across multiple days for different year bands, and flag football is offered as a mixed-year activity.

Creative arts are structured rather than occasional. There is a Trinity Drama Club at lunchtime, school show rehearsals, a school show singing rehearsal, and an STC Orchestra, with additional band workshop sessions for selected students and practice-room use.

Academic extension is also visible. Astronomy appears after school for Year 10 and Year 11, and Further Maths is offered for Year 11, both signalling stretch provision for students who want additional challenge beyond the standard timetable.

The implication for families is straightforward: students who enjoy mixing structured learning with clubs that have a clear purpose, rehearsal, performance, service, or academic challenge, are likely to find something that sticks. The timetable also suggests staff time is invested, which often correlates with better continuity and student commitment.

The published school day starts with form time and assembly from 8.35am, and students are expected to arrive no later than 8.30am. The core day runs to 3.10pm, with an additional Lesson 8 on Mondays running until 4.00pm.

Breakfast and wraparound childcare are typically not a feature of secondary schools in the way they are for primary, but there are early intervention slots from 7.30am on some days, and the after-school timetable indicates regular structured activities into the late afternoon.

For transport planning, the school has previously referenced student-led work connected to transport, including letters related to a school bus project. Families should still plan using current local bus and rail options rather than relying on informal arrangements.

• Faith-based admissions paperwork. A Supplementary Information Form is required for applicants applying under faith-based criteria, with a stated deadline of 31 October 2025 for September 2026 entry. Families should plan early for document gathering and parish verification where needed.

• Competition for places. The school is widely presented as oversubscribed, and the planned admission number for Year 7 entry in September 2026 is 210. If you are not confident you meet priority criteria, treat this as a high-competition option and build a realistic Plan B.

• Post-16 transition at 16. With no sixth form on site, every student makes a deliberate move at the end of Year 11. This can be positive, but it does require families to research post-16 options early and to factor in travel.

• Monday finish time. The later finish on Mondays can affect after-school childcare, clubs outside school, and commuting plans, especially for families coordinating siblings at different schools.

A high-performing Catholic girls’ secondary with a clearly structured day, a strong academic profile, and a well-defined Catholic life that shapes both culture and pastoral support. It suits families who actively want a faith-informed education and who value consistent routines, clear expectations, and strong GCSE outcomes. The limiting factor is usually admission, so families considering it should use Saved Schools to manage a shortlist and prioritise a realistic set of alternatives alongside this choice.