St Paul’s Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy Review 2026, a faith-led Leicester secondary with sixth form

The phrase that frames school life here is the one printed across key communications and repeated in Catholic life materials: Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God. The tone is not performative, it shows up in how relationships, behaviour and pastoral support are described across formal reviews and school guidance.

Leadership is stable. Mrs Shelley Conaghan is the Principal, and the school’s own communications indicate she took up the role from August 2019.

This is a Catholic, mixed, 11 to 18 comprehensive within St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, serving families primarily in Leicester and the surrounding area.

St Paul’s positions itself as a Catholic community that takes inclusion seriously, and the language is consistent across sources. The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report from 02–03 October 2025 describes a strong sense of belonging, respectful relationships, and a pastoral culture that prioritises wellbeing, alongside an expectation that students should be able to connect prayer and mission to action with increasing confidence.

The school has a long local story. Its own chapel page links today’s school to the Sisters who educated at Evington Hall and explains that, in 1977, the Nativity Convent School joined with Corpus Christi Catholic School to form the new St Paul’s Catholic School. For families, this matters less as nostalgia and more as context for why the school’s Catholic identity is expressed through both tradition and contemporary provision.

Behaviour expectations read as clear and structured rather than punitive. The parent handbook sets out routines around movement, dining, uniform standards and conduct in a way that suggests leaders want consistency across classrooms and social spaces. It also gives a practical sense of scale, with defined areas such as the restaurant, café, sports hall and shared spaces, plus systems that aim to keep queues, lunch and transitions orderly.

At GCSE level, the school’s outcomes sit broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Ranked 1561st in England and 23rd in Leicester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance is steady rather than headline grabbing, with signs of positive progress from starting points.

The Attainment 8 score is 50, and Progress 8 is 0.3, which indicates students make above-average progress overall. EBacc average point score is 4.28.

Sixth form outcomes are more mixed. Ranked 1728th in England and 12th in Leicester for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), results sit below the England average overall. The A-level grade profile shows 2.21% at A*, 11.06% at A, 28.32% at B, and 41.59% at A* to B combined, compared with an England average of 47.2% at A* to B.

What this means in practice is that the main school’s academic story is best understood through progress and consistency, while sixth form applicants should look closely at subject fit, study habits, and the support available for independent learning.

Teaching is described in formal reviews as well planned and curriculum-led, with subject curriculums identifying the knowledge students need at each stage so learning builds logically. The 2023 inspection also points to teachers’ expertise and strong subject passion, with particularly effective teaching in the sixth form, while noting that assessment practice is not yet consistently embedded across every classroom.

Reading is treated as a whole-school routine rather than a bolt-on intervention. Form time includes reading for all year groups as part of the daily timetable, and students who need support receive additional help from trained staff. For families, this is a practical signal that literacy is not assumed, it is actively reinforced in the school day.

Curriculum breadth is a recurring theme. Students can choose from a wide variety of subjects at key stage 4 and in the sixth form, and the school’s pathway guidance makes clear that leaders are attempting to increase language uptake at GCSE, which is consistent with the external note that EBacc entry is below average. For many students, this will feel like a balanced offer with sensible guardrails, rather than a narrow academic track.

Where Students Go Next

For the 2023/24 leavers cohort, 65% progressed to university, 6% to apprenticeships, and 15% to employment. This is a broad progression picture, and it suggests the sixth form serves students aiming for higher education alongside those moving directly into work or training.

Careers education is presented as a structured programme that supports choices at the end of key stage 4 and key stage 5, which matters because sixth form outcomes depend heavily on guidance, habits and realistic pathways rather than aspiration alone.

The school does not present a published headline pipeline for selective universities in the sources reviewed here, so the best approach for families is to ask about subject-level destinations, apprenticeship links, and the support used for competitive applications in the year group that is currently applying.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated by Leicester City Council. For 2026/27 entry, online applications open on 01 September 2025 and close for on-time applications on 31 October 2025, with offers released on 02 March 2026.

As a Catholic school, admissions also require a Supplementary Information Form to be completed and returned directly to the school. Oversubscription criteria prioritise, in order, Catholic looked after and previously looked after children, Catholic children, other looked after and previously looked after children, catechumens and candidates and members of Eastern Christian Churches, then other Christian denominations, other faiths, and other children, with priority within criteria for partner primary attendance and then siblings.

Open events are clearly signposted for Year 7 entry. The school advertises a Year 7 open evening on Thursday 18 September (4:30pm to 7:00pm) and states that families must apply by 31 October 2025 both to the Local Authority and via the school’s Supplementary Information Form.

For families weighing likelihood of a place, the key practical point is that faith criteria and evidence requirements can matter as much as distance. Use the FindMySchool Map Search to check travel practicalities, but base eligibility planning on the published oversubscription criteria and the accuracy of supporting documentation.

Pastoral support is repeatedly presented as a defining strength. Students are described as having trusted adults to turn to, and formal reviews state that wellbeing is treated as a serious part of school life rather than a slogan. Safeguarding is described as effective, with up-to-date training, strong record keeping, and appropriate engagement with external agencies when support is needed.

Catholic life is woven into routines through prayer, liturgy and calendar-based observances, while also explicitly acknowledging and respecting students of other faiths. The sixth form handbook provides concrete examples of how collective worship and formation activities appear across the year, and how sixth formers are expected to model conduct and responsibility within the wider school community.

Support for students with SEND is presented as inclusive rather than separate. External commentary indicates students with SEND follow the same curriculum as peers, with adaptations and teaching assistant support used to help access learning successfully.

Enrichment is an area where St Paul’s offers identifiable strengths, but also where external feedback expects further growth.

On the positive side, there is clear evidence of practical, named clubs that go beyond generic lists. The extra-curricular schedule published for 2022/23 includes Netball Club (Years 8/9), Basketball (Years 7/8), Dance Club (Year 8), Product Design (Years 7/8), Fashion Club (Years 7/8), Debate Club (Year 10), and Football Club (all years). Venues include the MUGA, field, dance studio, theatre, and specialist rooms.

STEM-related enrichment is tangible rather than abstract. Potions Club is described as running practical chemistry-style sessions, using activities such as flame tests framed through a themed mystery, and Dissection Club is presented as a hands-on science activity supported by older students and sixth form assistants. For students who learn best by doing, this kind of structured practical work can make science feel accessible and memorable.

Performing arts opportunities are also explicitly stated. The performing arts page lists recurring events and partnerships such as a school musical, Shakespeare Schools Festival, Leicestershire One Act Play Festival, and practitioner-led workshops, which implies students can build confidence through staged performance as well as classroom study.

The counterweight is that a formal review highlights the extra-curricular range as relatively narrow overall, especially in the sixth form, and suggests many students do not currently participate in clubs. For parents, that translates into a simple question: does your child tend to join opportunities when they are available, or do they need encouragement and structure to engage after the bell.

The school day finishes at 3:10pm, with the timetable starting at 8:45am on most days. The published schedule also indicates extra-curricular classes start at 3:30pm, which is helpful for planning transport, work patterns, and after-school routines.

Travel-wise, the school describes itself as having a central location just off the A47 Uppingham Road, which should suit families driving or using bus routes that connect into the city.

Wraparound childcare is not typically a feature of secondary schools, and no breakfast or after-school childcare model is clearly set out in the sources reviewed here. Families who need supervised care beyond clubs should check directly what is available for the relevant year group.

• Faith-based admissions criteria. Eligibility and priority are shaped by Catholic and wider faith categories and by the Supplementary Information Form process. This will suit Catholic families strongly, but families relying on a place should be confident about documentation and timelines.

• Extra-curricular breadth and take-up. Formal feedback indicates the enrichment range needs expanding, particularly for sixth form, and that participation is not universal. Students who thrive on a busy after-school programme may need to be proactive, and parents may want to ask what has changed since this feedback.

• EBacc language uptake. External commentary highlights that EBacc participation has been below average and leaders are working to increase language study at key stage 4. If languages matter for your child’s pathway, ask how option guidance and staffing support that ambition.

• Sixth form outcomes are mixed. A-level results sit below the England average overall, so sixth form applicants should focus on subject fit, study routines and the support available for independent learning.

St Paul’s is best understood as a faith-led, inclusive Catholic comprehensive with a clear daily structure and a pastoral culture that is repeatedly described as supportive and safety-conscious. The main school offers a broad curriculum and evidence of practical enrichment in areas such as science and performing arts, while formal feedback expects leaders to widen extra-curricular choice further and strengthen consistent classroom assessment routines. It suits families who want a Catholic framework, clear routines, and steady academic progress, particularly where students benefit from strong pastoral relationships and a structured school day.