Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, Coventry Review 2026: Faith-led secondary with structured routines and a strong pastoral core

A Catholic secondary with sixth form serving Potters Green and the wider Coventry area, Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School has a clear sense of purpose, centred on its motto Omnia pro Christo (Everything for Christ) and a simple values framework, described as a “Compass for Life”.

Leadership has been in transition recently. Ms Laura Burtonwood is listed as Principal and is described publicly as having been appointed Principal in 2025, following an interim period that was communicated to families in late 2024.

The school is part of The Romero Catholic Academy, which was established in 2015, and it is preparing for a 70th anniversary milestone in 2028, signalling deep local roots as well as a more recent academy chapter.

The latest Ofsted inspection (30 November to 1 December 2021) judged the school Good overall, including sixth form provision.

Catholic identity is not treated as a bolt-on, it shapes the rhythm of the day and the language students use. The school describes prayer as part of lesson starts and an accessible chapel space for reflection, alongside regular Mass and a calendar of liturgical moments across the year.

Pastoral care is presented as a defining strength in formal Catholic inspection reporting, with an emphasis on an inclusive welcome and students feeling valued and supported. That matters in a large secondary, where consistency and relationships often define the lived experience more than any single policy document.

There is also a modern, community-facing feel to the way the school talks about aspiration. The sixth form runs Oxbridge Plus, a programme framed around widening access to competitive pathways, including medicine and Russell Group universities, supported by mentoring, talks, visits, and interview preparation.

Cardinal Wiseman’s published performance profile is best understood as mixed, with more strength at GCSE than at A-level, and with outcomes that sit close to the broad middle of England for GCSEs.

GCSEs (2024 data set)

Ranked 2,641st in England and 18th in Coventry for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places the school in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). The Attainment 8 score is 43.6, and Progress 8 is -0.05, which is close to the England average line.

EBacc indicators are an area to watch. The school’s EBacc average point score is 3.73, compared with an England average of 4.08 in the same data set.

A-levels (2024 data set)

Ranked 2,071st in England and 20th in Coventry for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), which sits below England average overall (bottom 40%). Grade distributions show 30.36% at A* to B and 11.31% at A* to A, compared with England averages of 47.2% and 23.6% respectively in the same data set.

The practical implication for families is straightforward. For students aiming at sixth form, the support structure and subject fit matter at least as much as raw headline grades. Ask how the school supports high-attaining students, how it secures strong outcomes in specific subjects, and how it helps students whose grades are more variable across the curriculum.

The school’s day structure is intentionally engineered around routines and curriculum reinforcement. Alongside lesson time, it describes a daily “Formation” session, structured reading time for younger year groups, and a dedicated maths practice element using Sparx Maths.

A notable feature is the Friday afternoon “Transformation” block. It is positioned as a structured enrichment period with multiple pathways, including learning new skills, school service, and community service. Examples given include Taekwondo, podcasting, basics of electrics, and completing Duke of Edinburgh. The point is not novelty, it is breadth and habit formation, particularly for students who benefit from purposeful structure.

Support for additional needs is described in concrete terms. The school’s Trinity SEND department references targeted interventions such as Read, Write, Inc, IDL Literacy and Numeracy, Lego Therapy, Zones of Regulation, and Anger Gremlin programmes, alongside work with external agencies.

The school’s sixth form pipeline blends aspiration with realism. Oxbridge Plus is explicitly designed to encourage applications to Oxford and Cambridge and other highly competitive routes, including medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine, with a combination of mentoring, specialist speakers, and visits.

In the measured Oxbridge period in the data set, there were 2 applications and 1 acceptance (Oxford and Cambridge combined). These numbers are small, but they indicate that Oxbridge is treated as a real pathway for at least some students rather than something that “other schools do”.

For broader destinations, the latest leaver destinations data (cohort size 83) shows 49% progressing to university, 4% to further education, 2% to apprenticeships, and 19% to employment.

The alumni case studies published by the school are also a useful signal of the kinds of careers it highlights to current students. Examples include a Managing Director in an environmental systems firm, a Creative Director in publishing and design, and the Chief Executive of a major Midlands housing association.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Coventry’s local authority process, with Cardinal Wiseman included in the co-ordinated scheme. For entry in September 2026, the published deadline was 31 October 2025, with offers issued on 2 March 2026 (the next working day after 1 March where applicable).

The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 240. Oversubscription criteria prioritise, in order, looked-after and previously looked-after children in defined categories, baptised Catholic children (including feeder primary priorities), and then distance as the tie-break where categories are oversubscribed. Distance is calculated as a straight-line measurement from the home address point to the school site point, using the local authority’s mapping system.

A practical detail that catches families out is evidence. The admissions policy states that baptismal certificates must be submitted for children applying as baptised Catholic, and missing evidence can affect the category the application is placed into.

Open evenings in Coventry typically run in September. For the 2026 entry cycle, Coventry City Council listed Cardinal Wiseman’s open evening on Thursday 18 September 2025, with two timed sessions. Families should check the latest local authority listing each year, as dates shift slightly.

For sixth form entry (Year 12), the school’s published deadline for September 2026 entry was Thursday 18 December. In practice, sixth form application timetables are more school-specific than Year 7, so it is worth treating mid-December as the typical marker and then checking the current year’s deadline.

Parents comparing options should use the FindMySchool Map Search to understand how distance criteria might interact with their address, and to sense-check whether a move is likely to be decisive when distance becomes the tie-break.

Pastoral support is framed as a whole-school priority, not a niche service. The chaplaincy team is described with specific roles, including a Lay Chaplain, an Assistant Lay Chaplain, and a priest chaplain, and the programme includes Mass, retreats (including residential opportunities), student-led worship planning, and structured prayer resources for forms.

The SEND offer is also described in operational language rather than broad promises. Trinity’s intervention model, time-bound programmes, and links to external services suggest a system designed to respond to need rather than simply record it.

According to the most recent Catholic Schools Inspectorate inspection (03 to 04 July 2025), the level of pastoral care is a standout strength, and the school is described as inclusive and welcoming, with prayer central to school life.

Extracurricular life is clearly organised as both enrichment and identity-building. The school lists specific activities including Debating, Craft Club, Chess Club, Science Club, Computing Club, BBC School Report, and Cardinal Wiseman Enterprise, alongside sports and prayer opportunities that align with the school’s Catholic rhythm.

Performing arts is treated as participation as well as performance. The school references “Showtime” as an event where students can present dance, drama, and music, which is a useful barometer for confidence-building and stage time across a broad base, not only specialist performers.

There is also an organised inter-school dimension. The school references participation in a Birmingham Catholic secondary schools events programme, including maths challenges, public speaking competitions, a STEM event, a swimming gala, and chess competitions.

For students who like a timetable and a clear offer, the Transformation block is worth understanding in detail. With a published menu ranging from Taekwondo and podcasting to service and Duke of Edinburgh, it is one of the more distinctive structures in the week.

The school day structure varies by year group. One published timetable shows Year 7 arriving at 8:40am and finishing at 3:25pm, while Year 11 includes a later finish of 4:00pm. A separate schedule references a 3:10 end-of-day point followed by enrichment activity time. Families should check which timetable applies to their child’s year group.

Enrichment activities are positioned as after-school, with participation managed through the school’s management system for permissions and registers.

In terms of travel, the school’s Potters Green location suits families who can walk, cycle, or use local bus routes from east Coventry. For students travelling further, planning the journey around a structured start to the day is important, particularly in years where arrival windows are tighter.

• Faith expectations. The school’s Catholic identity is central, with regular prayer, Mass, and a strong chaplaincy presence. Families comfortable with a faith-led daily rhythm tend to settle well; those seeking a more secular experience should consider fit carefully.

• Admissions evidence and categories. If applying as a baptised Catholic child, documentation matters. Missing evidence can shift an application into a different priority category, which can materially affect outcomes when the school is oversubscribed.

• Sixth form outcomes relative to England. A-level results in the latest data set sit below England average overall. Students can do very well here, but families should ask about subject-level performance, support, and the pathway planning behind the headline figures.

• Later finishes in Key Stage 4. Published timings indicate Year 11 finishing later than younger years on some days, which can affect commute planning and after-school commitments.

Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School is best understood as a large Coventry secondary where faith, structure, and pastoral support are integral to daily life, not peripheral themes. The GCSE profile sits around the broad middle of England, while sixth form outcomes require closer scrutiny by subject and pathway.

This school suits families who want a Catholic environment with clear routines, a strong chaplaincy offer, and structured enrichment that builds confidence and habits. The key decision is fit: faith alignment, admissions category readiness, and an informed view of sixth form pathways.