St Antony's Roman Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy Review 2026: Oversubscribed Catholic secondary with a clear improvement agenda

Demand tells an immediate story. For the most recent published Year 7 admissions cycle there were 343 applications for 146 offers, a ratio of 2.35 applications per place, which sits firmly in oversubscribed territory. Alongside that competition is a clear school narrative of change. Leadership has been reshaped in recent years, the curriculum has been strengthened, and behaviour expectations are well set, even as outcomes remain a work in progress.

This is an 11 to 16 Roman Catholic secondary in Urmston, within Trafford, and it sits under the trusteeship of the Diocese of Salford. Faith is not a light-touch overlay, it is built into collective worship, form routines, chaplaincy activity, and the school’s published mission. For families who want a Catholic school culture, but who are also realistic about the improvement journey implied by the most recent inspection outcome, it can be a very practical shortlist option.

Small-to-mid sized secondaries can feel anonymous when systems are weak, or confidently personal when routines are consistent. Here, the published timetable and personal development offer point to an organised day, with form time anchoring the morning and a structured five-period model. The stated emphasis on respect, service, integrity, and resilience is echoed in the way the school frames wider-curriculum activity, including leadership roles and service-based groups.

Catholic life is visible and scheduled rather than occasional. Collective worship is described as an essential element of the school day, with each year group having one formal collective worship and four form worships weekly. That rhythm matters for families deciding whether a faith environment will feel natural, or intrusive. A wide range of observance exists in most Catholic secondaries, and this one is explicit about rooting values and daily culture in Gospel teaching while also describing inclusivity and respect as core expectations.

The school’s recent history also shapes the atmosphere. It was formed in September 1990 through the amalgamation of three schools, and it joined Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust in July 2020. That combination, a relatively modern institutional identity alongside more recent governance and leadership change, often produces a school that is actively rebuilding consistency. The signs are there in the way curriculum strength and delivery consistency are discussed in official reporting.

For GCSE performance, the dataset shows an Attainment 8 score of 43.3 and an EBacc average point score of 3.62. The Progress 8 figure is -0.17, which indicates that, on average, students made slightly below-average progress compared with pupils nationally who had similar starting points.

In FindMySchool’s England-wide GCSE ranking, this places the school at 2,848th out of 4,593 ranked secondaries for GCSE outcomes, which equates to performance below England average and within the bottom 40% of schools in England. Locally, it is ranked 63rd in the Manchester area. These are FindMySchool rankings based on official data, designed for like-for-like comparison across England and local areas.

One practical implication for families is that outcomes and progress measures align with a school that still has work to do on consistent learning gains across subjects. That does not mean strong students cannot thrive. It does mean that families should pay close attention to subject-by-subject support, how gaps are identified and closed, and the extent to which students are pushed into higher tiers and ambitious GCSE pathways.

Curriculum and teaching are the core levers in any improvement story, and the most recent official reporting focuses heavily on those mechanics. The curriculum has been reviewed and strengthened, and there is clear intent around sequencing, reading, and closing gaps. Reading is described as a priority, supported by targeted help for weaker readers and by actions aimed at strengthening a culture of reading for enjoyment, including development of the library.

The key caveat is consistency. Where teaching activity does not match curriculum ambition, learning becomes uneven, and that is explicitly highlighted as an area that still needs to improve. The same applies to assessment practice, in particular how quickly misconceptions and missed learning are identified and remedied. This is exactly the type of detail parents should ask about when visiting or speaking with staff, because it determines whether improvement is experienced by every year group, or mainly by those who happen to have the strongest teaching teams.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described as being accurately identified, and staff are expected to adapt delivery accordingly. The implication is encouraging, but again subject variability matters. Families of children with SEND should ask how subject teachers are supported to adapt tasks and how the school checks that adaptations are leading to strong outcomes, not simply appropriate intentions.

This is an 11 to 16 school with no sixth form, so all students move on at 16. The most useful question is not simply where students go, but how well they are guided through that choice, especially if GCSE outcomes are uneven.

The school describes a comprehensive personal development programme that includes careers information and tailored opportunities to support informed next-step decisions. That matters for students aiming at a range of pathways, including sixth form, further education, or technical routes. It is also where a Catholic ethos can show up in a positive way, through service expectations, leadership formation, and a strong relationship culture around conduct and aspirations.

For parents, the practical takeaway is to explore how the school supports different profiles of learner, including those who need an intensive push to secure strong GCSE grades for competitive sixth forms, and those who may benefit more from vocational or blended programmes post-16. If you are comparing options, the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools can help you review outcomes side-by-side alongside admissions pressure, so you can weigh fit against performance and availability.

Admissions are coordinated through Trafford’s secondary admissions process, but this is also a faith school with evidence requirements for applicants seeking priority under Catholic criteria. For the September 2026 Year 7 intake, the school states that parents should have returned the Common Preference Form to Trafford by 31 October 2025, and that a Roman Catholic baptismal certificate or equivalent should be forwarded directly to the school. Offer day is stated as 02 March 2026, with acceptance paperwork returned to Trafford by 12 March 2026.

Competition is not abstract, it shows up in the application ratio. The dataset records 343 applications and 146 offers in the relevant cycle, reinforcing that entry is the obstacle for many families, not the decision to accept a place once offered. For families relying on proximity, note that no “last distance offered” figure is available for this school, so it is even more important to focus on admissions criteria and evidence requirements rather than informal assumptions about catchment patterns.

If you are shortlisting seriously, do two things early. First, read the school’s admissions and appeals guidance and confirm how faith evidence is handled. Second, use FindMySchoolMap Search to confirm your travel practicality, including safe walking, cycling, and bus routes, since commuting quality affects daily attendance and wellbeing.

A strong pastoral offer is essential in any school that is improving academically, because students need stability while teaching practice tightens. Behaviour is described as calm and orderly, with pupils typically engaged and wanting to learn, and attendance has been an improvement focus.

Safeguarding is also clearly stated as effective in the latest official reporting, which is a baseline requirement and one that families should expect to remain non-negotiable regardless of a school’s academic trajectory.

Beyond statutory safeguarding, wellbeing support is given structure on the school site through themed guidance and signposting, including resources around anxiety, low mood, stress, sleep, online safety, and mindfulness, plus peer mentor roles. The wider point is that this is a school trying to put consistent adult support around students, which often correlates with improved behaviour and better readiness to learn.

The wider-curriculum offer is presented as more than enrichment for the confident few. It is framed as a route into mental and physical health, character development, leadership, and service, which fits the Catholic mission language. The most helpful detail is that the list is specific, not generic: Combined Cadet Force, Peer Mentors, Eco Group, GIFT Chaplaincy Team, Sports Leaders, arts options, and homework clubs are all named as examples.

Music is also supported through Trafford Music Service specialists teaching a range of instruments across Years 7 to 11. The implication is that students who would not otherwise access paid private tuition still have a school-based route into instrumental learning, which can be a meaningful confidence and identity builder during Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.

The school production is also explicitly referenced as something pupils were seen preparing for, which matters because performance activities often draw in students who are less motivated by traditional academics but flourish with team goals and public outcomes. For many families, the best insight comes from asking how many students actually participate weekly, and which year groups are most involved, since that indicates whether extracurricular life is a whole-school expectation or an optional bolt-on.

The published school day begins at 8.45am with form time and ends at 3.15pm, totalling 32.5 hours per week.

For travel, the school encourages walking and cycling where possible, and notes a bicycle shelter that is locked each morning and reopened at the end of the school day. Families relying on buses should review Transport for Greater Manchester guidance and plan routes that remain safe and reliable in winter afternoons, when traffic and daylight can make commuting harder for younger students.

• Inspection context and improvement pace. The most recent inspection outcome is Requires Improvement, with curriculum delivery consistency and assessment practice identified as areas still needing to tighten. Families should ask how the school is measuring improvement year-on-year, especially for older year groups.

• Results profile. A Progress 8 score of -0.17 indicates slightly below-average progress overall. For high-attaining students, the key question is how effectively they are stretched across every subject, not just in the strongest departments.

• Admissions evidence and competition. The school is oversubscribed and expects Catholic applicants to supply evidence where relevant, including baptism documentation for priority criteria. Organisation and deadlines matter, particularly around Trafford’s coordinated admissions timeline.

• No sixth form. All students move on at 16, so families should explore the quality of careers guidance and the support available for GCSE option choices that keep post-16 pathways open.

This is a Catholic 11 to 16 secondary with strong demand, a clearly structured day, and a wider-curriculum offer that prioritises leadership and service alongside sport, music, and performance. The most recent inspection outcome and progress measures indicate that the improvement journey is real, especially around consistent teaching and assessment practice. It suits families who actively want a faith-grounded school culture, who will engage with the admissions evidence requirements, and who are prepared to ask detailed questions about curriculum delivery and support for their child’s particular learning profile.