St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy Review 2026: Faith-led 11–16 with strong routines and broad enrichment

A rural-feeling setting on the edge of Billington, with Pendle Hill in the distance, frames a school that positions community, responsibility, and Catholic identity as everyday practice rather than occasional add-ons. The headteacher is Mrs Claire Hunt.

Academy status and membership of Romero Catholic Academy Trust give the school a wider governance structure, while daily life remains that of a mainstream 11–16 secondary serving local parishes and families across the Ribble Valley area.

On outcomes, the school’s GCSE performance sits broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). In FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking (based on official data), it is ranked 1,979th in England and 2nd locally (Clitheroe area).

The school presents itself as a partnership between home, school, and parish, and that framing shows up in practical expectations: clear routines, a visible pastoral structure, and a strong emphasis on collective responsibility.

A distinctive feature is the way pupil leadership is used to reinforce wellbeing and safeguarding culture. Formal roles include wellbeing ambassadors and safeguarding ambassadors, backed by staff-led systems and a designated safeguarding team.

There is also a strong “everyone belongs” message for pupils who need extra support. The school’s published SEND information describes structured adaptations and interventions, and external commentary notes that pupils with SEND benefit from the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

Faith life is presented as integrated rather than peripheral. The headteacher explicitly links the school’s mission and Gospel values to expectations for behaviour, service, and relationships.

FindMySchool GCSE ranking (based on official data)

Ranked 1,979th in England and 2nd in Clitheroe for GCSE outcomes. (This is a proprietary FindMySchool ranking derived from official performance data.)

At GCSE level, the dataset reports:

• Attainment 8 average score: 48.2

• Progress 8 score: +0.19 (above-average progress from pupils’ starting points)

• Grades 9–8: 10.8%

• Grades 9–7: 22.2%

• Grade 7: 11.4%

• EBacc average point score: 4.0 (close to the England average of 4.08)

Taken together, the picture is of a school that achieves securely, with progress that is positive and a top-grade profile that will suit pupils who combine consistent effort with good organisation.

When parents compare local options, the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and Comparison Tool are useful for viewing GCSE measures side-by-side, particularly Progress 8 and the top-grade distribution.

The curriculum is presented as broad and balanced through Key Stage 3, with structured pathways into Key Stage 4 options and clear preparation for post-16 choices elsewhere.

A practical strength is the school’s visible investment in personal development content, including online safety, relationships and consent, and contemporary risks such as image-based abuse and manipulated media. This matters because it moves safeguarding education beyond assemblies and into planned learning.

There is also evidence of targeted academic support structures. “Home learning help” and “TLC with Mrs C (English revision and support)” sit alongside subject catch-up and coursework sessions, which can make the difference for pupils who need a steady scaffold rather than last-minute intervention.

One area to watch, based on external evaluation, is consistency in assessment practice between subjects. The implication for families is that pupils may experience some variation in how quickly misconceptions are spotted and corrected, so those who need frequent feedback should ask about this during transition and early parent meetings.

As an 11–16 school, the key transition point is the move to further education, sixth forms, and apprenticeships after Year 11. The school signposts planning for results day and encourages pupils to keep contact details current with their chosen providers, with enrolment activity typically starting on GCSE results day.

For pupils leaning toward apprenticeships, the school highlights countywide information routes and sector pathways (including healthcare and nursing apprenticeships). That kind of signposting is most helpful for families who want a Plan A and Plan B mapped early, rather than relying on a single route.

Admission into Year 7 is coordinated through the local authority, with the national closing date for applications set as Friday 31 October 2025 for September 2026 entry. Offers are issued on Monday 2 March 2026, with a published timetable for waiting lists and appeals thereafter.

As a Catholic school, the process also includes a supplementary faith form for those applying under faith-based criteria. Evidence of Catholic baptism or reception into the Catholic Church is required for those criteria, and the school’s determined policy sets the same 31 October 2025 deadline for returning this evidence.

Oversubscription is a stated feature of the school’s context, so families should treat application accuracy, deadlines, and faith evidence as critical operational details rather than paperwork that can be tidied up later.

Parents who are trying to understand their realistic chance of a place should focus on the published oversubscription criteria first, then use FindMySchoolMap Search to sanity-check travel practicality and likely routes, even when there is no published “last distance offered” figure available.

Pastoral leadership is clearly set out, including heads of school for curriculum and pastoral, year leaders, and a named safeguarding team with a designated safeguarding lead and deputies.

Support is not framed purely as reactive. Published policy materials reference pupil mentors, chaplains, and ambassador roles, plus structured staff referral routes for counselling and pastoral support. The implication is a system that aims to surface concerns early, which tends to suit pupils who prefer predictable routes to help rather than informal approaches.

The latest inspection also confirms safeguarding effectiveness, which matters because it is the baseline for everything else that follows, including attendance and behaviour culture.

The enrichment menu is unusually specific and timetabled, which is useful for parents because it shows what is actually running, not just what is possible. In 2025–26, lunchtime and after-school options include Book Club, Eco Club, Duolingo, Chess Club, Choir, Band, SARCHS singers, Musical Theatre rehearsals (autumn term), plus practical clubs like D&T sessions in Technology rooms and creative options such as Art club and mindfulness colouring.

Sport is similarly structured, with regular lunchtime sessions and after-school fixtures or practices across football, netball, badminton, basketball, dance, table tennis, and rugby. The key point for families is accessibility: several sports appear to run for multiple year groups, which helps pupils find a lane even if they are not the strongest athlete in their form.

For pupils who benefit from a goal-driven experience, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is visible in school communications, including parent launch materials and expedition planning. This tends to appeal to pupils who gain confidence through incremental challenges and teamwork beyond the classroom.

The school day starts at 08:45 and ends at 15:15, with an earlier finish on Friday (14:25).

Transport planning matters because the site draws from across villages and towns around Clitheroe. School bus service information is published, and Lancashire’s bus timetable pages include services that stop at “St Augustines RCHS”, supporting pupils who travel from surrounding areas.

For rail, Clitheroe station is the closest mainline stop for families commuting into the area.

• No sixth form on site. The move after Year 11 is a full transition to a college, sixth form, or apprenticeship provider, so families should start exploring options early and treat Year 10 as planning time, not only revision time.

• Admissions administration is detailed. Faith evidence and supplementary forms have the same deadline as the main application for those applying under faith criteria, and late paperwork can materially change how an application is ranked.

• Assessment consistency varies by subject. Pupils who need frequent feedback should ask how departments check understanding and address gaps, especially in Key Stage 4 where pace accelerates.

• Attendance expectations are real. External commentary highlights attendance as a key lever for outcomes, especially for a small group of disadvantaged pupils, and families should plan routines and travel accordingly.

St Augustine’s combines a clear Catholic identity with practical systems that support learning, behaviour, and wellbeing. GCSE outcomes place it in line with the middle 35% of schools in England, with above-average Progress 8 and a structured enrichment programme that gives pupils multiple ways to participate and lead.

Who it suits: families seeking an 11–16 Catholic school where routines are explicit, pastoral structures are visible, and enrichment is scheduled and purposeful, alongside a realistic understanding that post-16 progression requires an organised transition beyond the school.