St Monica's RC High School, a Voluntary Academy Review 2026: A Catholic 11–16 with improved inspection grades

The most important recent shift here is trajectory. After being judged Requires Improvement in early 2023, the latest inspection in January 2025 graded all four key areas as Good, reflecting a school that has stabilised expectations, tightened routines, and improved day to day experience for pupils.

It is an 11–16 Catholic secondary in Prestwich, part of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, with a published capacity of 1,150 and just over 1,060 pupils on roll in the latest inspection material. The stated mission emphasises being “a Catholic family” shaped by prayer and service, with gospel values including justice, forgiveness and peace presented as the frame for school life.

Leadership continuity also matters to parents assessing consistency. Emma Keenan is the headteacher, with an appointment date recorded as 01 September 2021 in trust documentation.

Culture is where the evidence is clearest. The January 2025 report describes a transformed pupil experience since the previous inspection, including pupils feeling happy and safe, calm routines, and a consistent approach to behaviour that is understood across the school. That shift is practical rather than cosmetic, with staff using shared systems and pupils knowing what is expected in lessons and at social times.

Faith identity is explicit and integrated. The mission statement frames pupils as part of a Catholic family, while the published values focus on Prayer, Service, Justice, Forgiveness, and Peace, each anchored to scripture on the school website. For families who want a school where Catholic language is normal rather than occasional, the alignment between stated values and behaviour expectations will feel coherent. For families seeking a more secular experience, it is important to recognise that the faith dimension is part of daily identity rather than an optional add on.

The day to day organisation also shows in the school’s timing structure. The published timetable images indicate a structured morning start, with movement to registration from 08:25 and the final period concluding at 15:00. Lunch is split by key stage, which typically reduces pinch points and supports calmer social time.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking, the school sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Specifically, it is ranked 1,621st in England and 30th in Manchester for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). Progress measures are positive, with a Progress 8 score of +0.21 indicating students make above average progress from their starting points across eight subjects.

The Attainment 8 figure is 51.1. The school’s average EBacc point score is 4.39.

Two interpretation points help parents read this properly. First, the ranking band signals solid rather than selective-intake performance, so the lived experience will matter at least as much as the headline placement. Second, a positive Progress 8 score tends to align with effective classroom routines and curriculum sequencing, which matches the latest inspection’s description of structured teaching and improved consistency.

Parents comparing local options may find it useful to use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view GCSE positioning alongside nearby secondaries serving the Prestwich and wider Bury and north Manchester area.

The curriculum is described as broad and carefully sequenced, with learning broken into manageable steps so pupils can build new knowledge on what they already know. That matters most for students who need clarity and structure, because it reduces the risk of pupils being left with gaps that later become barriers.

Reading is treated as a whole school priority, not simply an English department responsibility. The inspection evidence points to an established approach to identifying reading need and deploying structured support, alongside a focus on subject specific vocabulary, including routines such as “word of the week”. The implication is a stronger platform for success across the curriculum, particularly in humanities and science where vocabulary load can be the difference between understanding and copying.

There is also a clear next step for improvement. In January 2025, the school was asked to strengthen staff confidence in adapting activities so that pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils, and pupils with weaker attendance can access the curriculum as well as their peers. This is not a critique of intent, it is about consistent implementation across classrooms.

As an 11–16 school, the key transition is post 16. Careers education is presented as a strength, with the latest inspection describing a comprehensive careers programme that supports pupils to make informed decisions about education and training pathways.

For families, the practical implication is that planning for Year 11 should start early. A strong careers structure can help students who are weighing sixth form versus college, or academic routes versus technical and apprenticeship options, especially when combined with clear guidance on entry requirements and application timelines. If post 16 provision is a priority, parents should ask during open events how Year 11 guidance is delivered, how employers and further education providers are brought in, and how application support works for students choosing different routes.

Admissions are co-ordinated through the local authority process for secondary transfer. For children starting secondary school in September 2026, Bury’s published co-ordinated timetable states applications open on 01 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025, with national offer day on 02 March 2026. Appeals deadlines and hearing windows are also published by the local authority.

As a Catholic school, oversubscription criteria and supporting evidence matter. The school’s admissions information sets out contributory parish communities and associated primary schools, and it explains that families may need to complete a Supplementary Information Form and provide evidence such as a baptism certificate and sacramental programme information, depending on the criteria under which they apply.

Open events typically cluster in September and October for Year 7 entry, which aligns with the local authority’s published admissions calendar. Families considering a faith place should build in enough time to gather documentation and submit any supplementary forms in parallel with the local authority application.

Where distance becomes relevant, parents should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their measured distance and understand how that might interact with faith and sibling criteria in a given year.

Safeguarding is a stated strength in the most recent inspection, with safeguarding arrangements confirmed as effective.

The wider wellbeing picture links closely to the behaviour culture reset. In 2023, the school was criticised because some pupils’ behaviour at social times was not consistently good enough, and a minority behaviour culture could make others feel uncomfortable at times. The monitoring inspection in 2024 describes revised behaviour systems, clearer expectations, improved responses to bullying and derogatory language, and a considerable reduction in suspensions. By January 2025, behaviour routines are described as consistently taught and embedded, helping create a respectful learning community.

Attendance remains a priority area, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Both the 2024 monitoring letter and the 2025 report highlight that some groups do not attend regularly enough, which can widen gaps in learning. For parents, this is worth viewing as a shared partnership point: ask how attendance is tracked, what early help looks like, and how support is tailored for pupils with specific barriers to regular attendance.

Enrichment is framed around structured pupil leadership as well as clubs. The school’s published enrichment overview includes roles such as peer mentors, peer defenders, a school council, chaplaincy and Caritas ambassadors, and an LGBTQ+ club. The implication is a culture that aims to give pupils responsibility and a voice, which can be especially valuable for quieter students who do not naturally put themselves forward in class.

The club list is concrete rather than generic. Examples include a Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award offer, STEM Lego and science clubs, a gardening club, a coding club, a maths challenge, chess club, creative writing and debate, and a history “Horrible stories” activity strand. In practice, that breadth gives pupils multiple entry points, some will gravitate to performance and creativity, others to technical and problem solving activities, and others to service and leadership roles connected to Catholic life.

For parents, the most useful question is not “how many clubs exist”, it is participation and access. Ask how clubs are scheduled across the week, how the school supports pupils who need transport, and whether there is targeted encouragement for pupils who might otherwise opt out.

The published school day timings show arrival and registration starting from 08:25, with the final lesson period ending at 15:00. Lunch is split between key stages, and the site uses a consistent period structure across the week.

As a secondary school, wraparound care is not typically a core offer in the way it is for primary settings. If before school supervision or after school study provision is important for your family’s working pattern, it is sensible to ask directly, as those details are not set out on the published school day page.

• Attendance remains a priority issue for some groups. External review material highlights that disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND can have lower attendance, which can affect achievement; families may want to understand how the school intervenes early and how support is personalised.

• SEND adaptation is improving but not fully consistent yet. The January 2025 report flags that some teachers are not always certain how best to adapt activities to meet the needs of pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils; this matters if your child relies on consistent in-class scaffolding.

• Faith criteria and paperwork can be decisive. Catholic admissions routes can require supplementary forms and supporting evidence, alongside the local authority application; families should plan ahead so deadlines are not missed.

• The school is on an improvement journey, not a finished story. The move from Requires Improvement in 2023 to Good grades across the board in 2025 is significant, but families should still test how consistent expectations feel across year groups and subjects during visits and conversations.

This is a Catholic 11–16 that has strengthened its culture, clarified routines, and improved its inspection outcomes. GCSE performance sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England on FindMySchool’s rankings, with a positive Progress 8 score suggesting students tend to make above average progress.

Who it suits: families seeking a faith rooted school identity, structured behaviour expectations, and a school that is moving in the right direction after a period of weaker inspection judgements. The key decision point for many will be admissions criteria fit and confidence that attendance and SEND support will meet their child’s needs consistently.