Lichfield Cathedral School

Few schools can trace their purpose back to the singing of choristers in a medieval close, then point to a recording studio and a 3D-printing suite a few hundred yards away. Lichfield Cathedral School does both. This is a mixed, non-selective independent school for ages 2 to 18, set at The Palace in the Cathedral Close, educating around 530 pupils from nursery through to the sixth form. Its results place it first in Lichfield at both GCSE and A-level, and its 2025 ISI inspection met every Standard. Music and faith run through the place, but so do BTECs, an extended project for sixth formers, and a co-curriculum that stretches from Forest School to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The defining feature is breadth without selection: this is a school that takes a wide range of pupils and aims to lift each one.

The school's identity is built on four founding values: learning, faith, leadership and service. It describes its community as one of glorious individuals, and that framing matters, because Lichfield Cathedral School does not select by ability. Children of differing starting points sit together, and the culture is shaped accordingly: warm, busy, and rooted in the rhythms of the Cathedral next door.

That Cathedral connection is not decoration. Around 45 pupils sing as Cathedral Choristers and Choral Scholars, rehearsing and performing in services that have happened on this site, in one form or another, for centuries. The annual St Chad patronal festival, whole-school concerts inside the Cathedral, and a Wednesday lunchtime recital series in the School Chapel give the year a liturgical and musical shape that few schools can match. Worship and Christian values are woven into daily life rather than reserved for assemblies.

The heritage runs deep. The Cathedral has educated choristers on this site since the early medieval period, but the school in its modern form was refounded on 27 January 1942, in the middle of the Second World War, as St Chad's prep school with nineteen pupils. Girls were first admitted in 1974, the school took its present name in 1981, secondary education followed in 2006, and the first sixth-form classes began in 2010. The result is a long institutional memory grafted onto a school that has reinvented itself within living memory, now teaching boys and girls from nursery to Year 13 at The Palace in the Close. Sue Hannam has led the school since 2015, and the years since have brought a steady expansion of subjects, facilities and the post-16 offer.

Governors and leaders work hard to hold this ethos together, integrating learning, leadership, faith and service rather than treating them as separate strands. The result is a setting built on strong relationships and genuine pastoral attention. For families who want their child known as an individual, in a small school where the Cathedral is a working part of the day, the character here is distinctive and sincere.

At GCSE, Lichfield Cathedral School is the top-ranked school in Lichfield. It holds the number one local rank and an England rank of 711, which places it above the England average and within the top 25% of schools in England. These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings built from official data.

The grade profile bears that out. Around 24.5% of GCSE entries were awarded grade 9 or 8, the equivalent of the old A*, and close to 44% reached grade 7 or above, an A or better. For a school that admits pupils without an entrance filter, that spread of top grades is a real achievement, because the headline figures are produced by a genuinely mixed-ability cohort rather than a pre-selected one. The implication for parents is that strong outcomes here reflect teaching and individual support more than intake.

The curriculum is well structured across all year groups, and pupils achieve high outcomes at GCSE, supported by comprehensive assessment systems that let staff track each child and tailor instruction. The school has also broadened its offer, adding BTEC subjects alongside traditional GCSEs so that pupils with different strengths can be stretched in different ways. Externally accredited drama, music and Royal School of Church Music examinations sit alongside the academic core, so achievement is measured in more than one currency.

The sixth form is likewise first in Lichfield. Its A-level England rank is 635, again above the England average and within the top 25% in England, a separate proprietary FindMySchool ranking built from official data. At A-level, around 10% of entries were graded A*, about 19% A, and roughly 26% B, giving an A* to B figure near 55%. The England averages for comparison sit at about 23.6% for A* to A and 47.2% for A* to B, so the school's combined A to B rate runs ahead of the England benchmark, while top-end A* numbers are more typical.

Two points give this depth. First, the sixth form runs A-levels and BTECs side by side, with BTECs carrying the same UCAS value, so the post-16 route suits both the exam-focused and the coursework-strong. The subject menu is wider than the size of the school would suggest, spanning the sciences and mathematics, including Further Maths, through to Economics, Government and Politics, Psychology, Criminology, Applied Law, Product Design, Music Technology and three modern languages. Second, sixth formers undertake the Extended Project Qualification, with results described as sophisticated. The EPQ trains the research and project-management skills universities prize, and it signals a sixth form that wants independent thinkers, not just exam technicians.

Teaching is the engine of a non-selective school that produces selective-looking results, and the evidence points to it being a strength here. Teachers are knowledgeable, enthusiastic and supportive, using varied methods that help pupils link new skills to what they already know. Independent thinking is encouraged at every level, and pupils develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills as they move up the school.

Crucially for a school that takes all comers, support is individualised. Pupils with special educational needs or disabilities are identified early and make good progress through tailored teaching, targeted intervention and regular progress reviews. One-to-one support feeds directly into high value-added scores in public examinations: in plain terms, pupils tend to leave with better grades than their starting points would predict. That value-added story, more than any raw headline, is the heart of the academic case for this school.

The approach starts in the early years. The nursery, for ages 2 and up, runs on the same site and feeds into Reception, and the junior school carries an early-years and primary culture of outdoor learning and music before the transition into the senior school. Comprehensive assessment systems in both the junior and senior phases let leaders track each child and adjust instruction, so a pupil who joins the nursery can be supported continuously through 16 year groups by staff who know the history.

Within the school, progression is continuous: children can move from the nursery through the junior years into the senior school and on into the sixth form, with assessment used to confirm the school can meet each pupil's needs rather than to bar entry. Sixth-form entry asks for five or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 6, with some A-level subjects requiring specific grades, so internal Year 11 students who meet the bar move smoothly into Year 12 alongside students joining from outside. The sixth form actively recruits externally, which keeps the post-16 cohort from being limited to those who came up through the school.

After Year 13, the most recent leaver data covers the 2023-24 cohort of 27 students. Of these, around 63% progressed to university and a further 4% into apprenticeships, with about 26% moving into employment. Oxbridge ambitions are pursued where appropriate: in the relevant year the school recorded three Cambridge applications, one offer and one student taking up the place. Careers guidance and work experience are built into the school's wider programme, the EPQ gives applicants a substantial piece of independent work to point to, and careers guidance and work experience sit alongside teaching on financial literacy and global citizenship. Parents should read these as the outcomes of a small cohort: numbers vary year to year, and the destinations reflect a school that supports a broad set of post-18 routes, including apprenticeships and employment, rather than funnelling everyone down one.

Lichfield Cathedral School is not academically selective. It admits at several points, principally Nursery, Reception, Year 7 and the sixth form, though it will consider pupils at other stages where places exist. Assessment is part of the process at every entry point, but its purpose is to confirm the school can support a child and arrange any provision needed, not to screen out applicants by ability. Nursery entry typically involves a minimum number of weekly sessions plus a short assessment, interview and reports; junior and senior entry use academic assessment during taster days; and the sixth form sets the five-GCSE bar described above.

As a Church of England foundation, the school's Christian character is genuine, but admission is open to families of all faiths and none, which is typical of CoE schools and sits comfortably with a non-selective intake. There are no faith-gated catchment criteria here, and no Certificate of practice or clergy reference is needed to apply, which sets the school apart from many faith schools where worship records form part of the selection. Where the school becomes full, applicants join a waiting list, with priority for siblings of current pupils and otherwise by order of application.

Music sits at the centre of one distinctive route. The boy and girl choristers of the Cathedral Choir are all educated at the school and receive substantial scholarships that reduce their fees, with former choristers able to return in the sixth form as Choral Scholars and sing alongside the adult members of the Cathedral Choir. Families with a musical child should ask early about the chorister and choral scholarship pathway and its audition process, since it is both the most distinctive and the most generous way into the school.

Because this is a small school, places at popular entry points can be limited rather than fiercely contested on academic grounds. The FindMySchool map search and saved-schools shortlist can help you weigh Lichfield Cathedral School against other independent and state options nearby before you commit to registering.

Wellbeing is treated as foundational. The school meets every Standard for pupils' physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing, and for their social and economic education. An effective PSHE programme builds positive attitudes to learning, respect for others and emotional resilience, and the school recently introduced a new behaviour-for-learning policy to give discipline, rewards and sanctions a clearer structure.

Leadership is encouraged from an early age, through roles such as house captains and senior prefects and through the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the Sports Leadership Award. The school also looks outward: British values such as individual liberty are taught by celebrating each pupil's talents, and inclusion is promoted through charitable work and community projects, including the MusicShare outreach initiative that takes the school's musical strength into the wider community. Pupils learn about democracy, global citizenship and financial literacy as part of the same programme, so the pastoral and the civic are treated as one piece.

Safeguarding is effective: that is the firmest reassurance the latest ISI inspection offers parents. Leaders promote a prominent safeguarding culture through clear policies, regular staff training and close work with external agencies, with thorough recruitment checks recorded systematically and proper pre-employment vetting kept on file. Leaders are described as careful in identifying potential risk to pupils' wellbeing and in maintaining effective filtering and monitoring.

Music is the school's first pillar, and it is exceptional for a school this size. Beyond the Cathedral choristers, pupils can join an orchestra and a long list of named ensembles, from Brasshoppers and Stringtacular to Drumstix, Jazzbytes and the cheerfully named Ukulellipops, alongside vocal groups such as Junior Choir, Melody Makers, Harmonics, Barbershop and Cantorum. Pupils perform regularly at school events, Cathedral services and concerts across the diocese, and many sit externally accredited exams including Royal School of Church Music awards. The implication is a music culture of real depth, where performance is a weekly habit rather than an annual event, and where a child who arrives keen on an instrument finds an ensemble waiting.

Drama is the second pillar, and it has just been given a proper home. Minster Hall, the school's performing arts centre, opened to bring music and drama together under one roof for the first time, with a theatre and performance space, music classrooms equipped with keyboards and composition software, rehearsal rooms and a recording studio. The school enters national competitions, with Year 10 students recently performing at the ISA Drama Competition, and LAMDA speech and drama work runs alongside the productions. A dedicated venue turns drama from a timetable subject into a genuine specialism.

Sport is the third pillar. Competitive fixtures are supported by on-site provision and partner facilities at Lichfield Sports Club and Beacon Park, so teams can train and compete properly despite the constraints of a compact close-bound campus. Sport also feeds the leadership thread through the Sports Leadership Award, so pupils are coaching and officiating as well as playing.

The fourth strand is hands-on and outdoor learning. A new design and technology suite in Cathedral House gives pupils prototype design, 3D printing, computer-aided design and textiles in one space, while Forest School, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, public speaking, debate and European language trips round out a co-curriculum that reaches well past the academic core. Enrichment includes language trips to Europe and extensive sport, drama and music, with wide participation actively encouraged. Because most clubs are included in the fees, that breadth is open to every family rather than rationed by extras.

Fees are charged per term and include VAT, lunches and most co-curricular clubs. For 2025-26, day fees range from £4,728 per term in Reception, rising through the junior years to £6,805 per term in Years 5 and 6, then £6,956 per term in Years 7 to 9 and £7,412 per term in Years 10 to 13. On the school's basis of three terms a year, that puts senior and sixth-form day fees at roughly £22,000 a year. Nursery fees are quoted separately and depend on sessions; for nursery fee details see the school website, and note that government-funded hours of up to 30 a week are available for eligible families and can reduce the termly charge, with our guide to nursery funding explaining the entitlement.

Financial support comes in two forms. Scholarships are merit awards, available at Year 7 and Year 12 entry for academic, art, drama, music and sport, each carrying 5 to 10% remission of fees with a maximum combined award of 20%. Bursaries are means-tested or circumstance-based: clergy families receive 10% remission, armed forces families up to 25%, and the children of former pupils up to 5%, with sibling discounts where more than one child attends. Separately, the Cathedral choristers receive substantial fee reductions through their choral scholarships, which is the most generous route into the school for a musically gifted child. The fee level is in line with regional independent day schools rather than the national premium names, which keeps it within reach of more local families, though it is still a significant commitment.

The school day runs across nursery, junior, senior and sixth-form sections on the single Cathedral Close site. Nursery attendance is built around a minimum number of weekly sessions, with practitioners and a room-based key-person approach for the youngest children, and government-funded early-years hours are available to eligible families. The school is set in the centre of Lichfield, walkable from the city and railway stations and well placed for families across south-east Staffordshire, with sports provision shared between the campus and nearby partner venues. Open mornings and tours run through the year; current dates are published by the school, so contact the admissions team directly for the next available event and to confirm wraparound arrangements for younger children.

This is a small school, and that cuts both ways. With around 530 pupils across 16 year groups, cohorts are intimate and pupils are well known, but sixth-form sets and team rosters are smaller than at large independents. Families wanting a wide A-level menu with multiple sets per subject, or deep squad sport, should check current numbers for their child's likely subjects.

Form time is the one published caveat. The latest inspection asked the school to make form time more consistently effective for pastoral and academic support, noting that the extra time built into the redesigned day is not always used well. It is a narrow point against a strong report, but worth raising at an open morning to hear how it is being addressed.

The Christian character is real and pervasive. Worship, the Cathedral rhythm and Christian values are part of daily life. Admission is open to all faiths and none, but families who would prefer a secular setting should weigh how central faith is here.

Fees rise steeply with age. The gap between early-years and senior fees is significant, so families committing in Reception should plan for the later-years cost, and explore the scholarship, bursary and chorister routes early.

Lichfield Cathedral School is a heritage choir school that has grown into a credible all-through independent, top of its local rankings at both GCSE and A-level and meeting every Standard at its 2025 inspection. Its real distinction is value added: a non-selective intake that leaves with results stronger than their starting points predict, supported by individualised teaching and a music and performing-arts offer that punches far above the school's size. It is best suited to families who want a small, supportive, faith-rooted school where their child will be known by name, where music and drama are genuine specialisms, and where a range of academic and vocational routes, including BTECs and the EPQ, are taken seriously. The main caveat is scale: this is a compact school, so check that the specific subjects, sets and squads your child wants are well supported before you choose.