St Thomas More Catholic High School, Crewe Review 2026: Catholic secondary with clear routines and solid outcomes

A school day that starts with a free breakfast option, moves through five teaching periods, and includes a dedicated pastoral slot called Building the Kingdom tells you a lot about priorities here. St Thomas More Catholic High School serves students aged 11 to 16 and sits within the South Cheshire Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, with a strong emphasis on Catholic Social Teaching woven through curriculum and culture.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. For families looking for structure, high expectations, and a faith-shaped approach to personal development, the model is coherent. Outcomes are steady, and progress measures suggest students tend to do better than similar starting points would predict.

The school’s own language places community and formation at the centre, with Catholic Social Teaching positioned as a practical guide for decisions, relationships, and the day-to-day running of lessons. That emphasis comes through in named routines such as Building the Kingdom, which sits in the middle of the morning and acts as a consistent anchor for prayer, assemblies, reading, and pastoral check-ins.

Leadership is stable and visible. The headteacher is Mrs Katherine Packham, shown in official records as in post from 01 September 2023. That matters for parents because it gives enough runway for a clear strategy to embed, without the churn that can disrupt behaviour systems and curriculum sequencing.

The rhythm of the day is deliberately defined. Students register from 8:50am, lessons run through to 3:20pm, and the timetable is published clearly enough that families can plan travel, clubs, and after-school routines with confidence.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking, the school is ranked 1,597th in England and 2nd in the Crewe area. This reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), while standing out positively in its immediate local context. (FindMySchool ranking based on official data.)

The headline attainment picture is as follows:

• Attainment 8 score: 47.9

• Progress 8 score: 0.26

• EBacc average point score: 4.35

• Percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc: 18.8%

For parents, Progress 8 is the most helpful signal in that list because it indicates how much progress students make from their starting points across eight subjects. A positive score suggests students, on average, make more progress than expected.

The EBacc measures suggest a more selective EBacc outcomes profile, which can reflect a range of factors including option choices, how widely the EBacc suite is entered, and the balance the school strikes between academic and applied pathways. The best way to interpret this locally is alongside the school’s options structure and subject offer, rather than as a standalone judgement.

The curriculum breadth is a practical strength, particularly for a non-selective 11 to 16 setting. The published subject list includes creative and applied routes such as Creative iMedia, Health and Social Care, and Food and Nutrition, alongside academic subjects and multiple languages, including French, German, Polish, and IT and Computer Science.

There is also a distinct, explicitly taught personal development component called I AM, described as one hour per fortnight for all year groups, supported by tutor time, assemblies, and collective worship, with themes linked to Catholic Social Teaching. The implication for families is that personal development is not left to chance or occasional events. It is timetabled, repeated, and reinforced through consistent language across the week.

In practical terms, this sort of model tends to suit students who do well with routine, clear expectations, and predictable adult follow-through. It can be especially helpful in Key Stage 3, where the jump from primary to secondary can otherwise feel fragmented.

Because the school’s upper age is 16, the key transition point is post-16 choices rather than university destinations. Families should expect the school’s guidance to focus on helping students choose between sixth forms and colleges locally, including pathways that match GCSE outcomes, subject strengths, and career interests.

A useful question to ask at open events is how the school supports three different groups:

1. Students aiming for academic A-level routes

2. Students best suited to mixed programmes, including vocational qualifications

3. Students who need a highly supported transition into training, employment, or college-based provision

The website indicates careers education and a structured approach to personal development. Parents comparing local pathways can also use FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages to view nearby options side-by-side using the Comparison Tool, then check travel practicality and admissions criteria before shortlisting.

St Thomas More is a state secondary, so applications are handled through the local authority coordinated process rather than a fee-paying admissions system. For Cheshire East, the published deadline for secondary (Year 7) applications for September 2026 entry was 31 October 2025, with offers issued on 02 March 2026 and an acceptance deadline of 16 March 2026.

Families should treat admissions as a timeline exercise as much as a preference exercise. Late applications are possible, but they can be disadvantaged once allocations and waiting lists are in motion. If you are planning a move, the most reliable approach is to map your likely travel route early and check how distance and any faith-related criteria operate in the published admissions arrangements.

As a Catholic school, it is also important to understand how faith is reflected in admissions criteria, including what evidence is requested and how places are prioritised if the school is oversubscribed. The practical implication is that families should read the current policy carefully and gather any supporting documentation well before the local authority’s deadline.

The pastoral structure is unusually explicit for a mainstream secondary, largely because Building the Kingdom is treated as a consistent programme rather than a generic form period. The school describes this as a bespoke pastoral and personal development programme, and it is supported by prayer, assemblies, reading, and routine checks that help staff spot issues early.

Safeguarding information is also positioned prominently on the website, including clear signposting on how to raise concerns. For parents, that matters less as a marketing signal and more as a practical one, since clarity tends to correlate with consistent internal practice.

The day also includes staffed touchpoints that reduce friction for students who struggle with organisation. Breakfast provision, form time routines, and supervised social times create multiple opportunities for staff to intervene early if attendance, punctuality, or peer issues begin to slide.

Extracurricular life is not only about clubs, it is also about removing barriers that stop students participating. St Thomas More makes that explicit with structured study support and access to food at the start of the day.

Homework Club runs Monday to Friday from 3:15pm to 4:15pm in the library (room D38) and is staffed by support staff, with the clear intent of providing a quiet space and access to computers for students who need it. That has a straightforward implication for families, it can reduce evening stress at home and make homework completion less dependent on household space, devices, or adult availability.

There is also Silent Study available Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 8:45am, again giving students a predictable place to work before the day begins. Paired with the school’s morning arrival routine and breakfast offer, this can be a strong fit for students who concentrate better early in the day or who benefit from an organised start.

Lunch and break are framed as supervised social times, with structured staffing and roles for senior students, and the school notes that a range of lunchtime activities and clubs run, communicated through a weekly pupil bulletin. While the bulletin itself changes week to week, the underlying point is stable, students are not expected to entertain themselves without adult presence and clear norms.

The published school day runs from 8:50am registration to a 3:20pm finish, with five periods and a mid-morning break, plus Building the Kingdom from 11:20am to 11:45am. The website also describes a free breakfast club running 8:30am to 8:45am.

Because this is a secondary school, wraparound care is less likely to mirror primary-style after-school provision. The school does, however, publish structured study support before and after the day, which may function as practical coverage for some families.

For transport planning, the safest approach is to test the route at the times students would actually travel. If you are comparing multiple local schools, FindMySchoolMap Search can help you sanity-check distance and travel time assumptions quickly before you commit to a shortlist.

• A faith-shaped culture is central. Catholic Social Teaching, chaplaincy, and collective worship are presented as core, not optional add-ons. Families who want a fully faith-integrated education are likely to value this; those who prefer a lighter-touch approach should probe what daily practice looks like.

• Outcomes are solid rather than extreme. The school sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England on FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking, although it ranks strongly within the local Crewe area. Families seeking a highly selective academic environment may want to compare several options locally.

• Academic support is structured, but it assumes student buy-in. Homework Club and Silent Study provide practical scaffolding, yet students still need to choose to use them consistently. Parents should ask how staff encourage take-up, especially for students who are less confident or less organised.

• Post-16 transition requires planning. With education ending at 16 on site, families should look early at the likely sixth form and college routes, then work backwards to GCSE options that keep doors open.

St Thomas More Catholic High School offers a well-defined daily structure, a clear Catholic identity, and steady academic outcomes, with strong local standing in the Crewe area. It is best suited to families who want a state-funded secondary where faith, personal development, and routine are tightly integrated, and where students can access regular study support before and after the school day. The main question for prospective families is fit, both with the faith dimension and with an 11 to 16 model that requires a planned post-16 pathway.