St Paul’s Catholic School Review 2026: Inclusive Catholic secondary with a large sixth form

A large, mixed secondary and sixth form with a clear faith-based identity and a practical, inclusive ethos. The headline mission language is explicit and consistent, Ministerium Tuum Imple (Love. Serve. Do the best that is possible.).

The school is sizeable, with 1,880 pupils on roll including 411 in the sixth form (figures in the most recent inspection report). That scale tends to bring breadth, a wide offer of subjects, pathways, and student leadership roles, while still expecting staff to know pupils well through structured pastoral systems.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still plan for typical secondary costs such as uniform, educational visits, and optional enrichment activities, which can vary by year group and subject choices.

The tone is set by the school’s mission statement and the way it frames daily life. The language is not abstract, it is operational, with love, service, and high personal standards positioned as expectations for pupils and staff.

There is a strong emphasis on inclusion, both in how pupils are expected to treat one another and in how the school describes its responsibility to support a broad range of needs. The SEND structure is not presented as an add-on. Emmaus Student Support sits alongside mainstream provision, with specialist strands including communication support, visual impairment support, and hearing support.

Faith life is visible through organised roles and routines rather than occasional events. Chaplaincy representatives are selected within tutor groups, and sixth form leadership positions explicitly include service elements, from school tours and events to practical support roles. The Ministerium Award offers bronze, silver, and gold levels across theology, prayer, and service, creating a clear framework for pupils who want structured faith-based enrichment.

Leadership is stable. The headteacher is Mrs Jo-Anne Hoarty, and the school states she has been headteacher since 2016.

At GCSE level, the most useful high-level indicators here are Attainment 8 and Progress 8, because they capture average achievement and progress across a broad set of subjects.

• Attainment 8 is 47.

• Progress 8 is 0.03, which indicates broadly in line progress from pupils’ starting points.

In FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking (based on official outcomes data), the school is ranked 1,842nd in England and 8th in Milton Keynes. This places performance in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The EBacc picture is more mixed. The proportion achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc is 15.3, and the average EBacc APS is 4.25. These figures often reflect entry patterns as well as outcomes, so families may want to look at how EBacc is positioned in the curriculum and options process for different starting points.

In sixth form, the headline grade distribution is below the England benchmark in the data provided: A* is 1.76%, A is 8.13%, B is 18.46%, and A* to B combined is 28.35%, compared with an England average of 47.2% for A* to B. In FindMySchool’s A-level ranking (based on official outcomes data), the school is ranked 2,200th in England and 7th in Milton Keynes, which sits below England average overall.

For parents comparing options locally, the FindMySchool Local Hub Comparison Tool is the quickest way to view these measures side by side with nearby providers, including both GCSE and post-16 outcomes.

Curriculum breadth is a repeated theme, and it matters in a school of this size because breadth can be delivered in different ways: either as genuine choice with clear sequencing, or as a wide list that does not always cohere. Here, subject sequencing and raised expectations across year groups are explicitly described as priorities, with staff working from clear models of what pupils should know and how knowledge builds from Year 7 through to Year 13.

Classroom practice appears strongest where teachers check understanding in the moment and adapt tasks and questioning accordingly. Where this is less consistent, the risk is predictable: some pupils complete work without embedding key knowledge deeply enough, and high prior attainers may not be stretched as precisely as they could be. That is a technical issue rather than a cultural one, and it often improves through coaching and shared routines rather than structural change.

Reading is treated as a whole-school priority. There is explicit attention to supporting access to demanding texts across subjects, and targeted intervention is described for pupils who are not yet fluent readers. A well-stocked library is presented as part of this strategy, supporting both pleasure reading and academic reading habits.

Post-16 pathways are clearly diversified. Alongside A-level routes, the sixth form describes vocational options, a bridging programme designed to build towards Level 3 study or apprenticeships, and the Extended Project Qualification as a feature of the offer.

The school does not publish a single, comprehensive destinations dashboard with Russell Group or university-by-university counts in the material reviewed, so the most reliable way to describe destinations is through the official leavers measures provided here, complemented by the school’s stated approach to guidance and preparation.

For the 2023 to 2024 leavers cohort (size 198), 67% progressed to university. Apprenticeships accounted for 6%, employment for 13%, and further education for 1%. These are broad categories, but they show that the school supports multiple end points rather than presenting a single track.

For highly selective applications, the Oxbridge pipeline is present but small. Across the measured period, 9 applications were made to Oxford and Cambridge combined, and 1 place was accepted. That is not a headline feature of the school’s identity, but it is evidence that students aiming for the most competitive courses can be supported, particularly when combined with strong subject mentoring and application coaching.

Careers education is described as extensive, including encounters with former pupils and partners from education, training, and employment, alongside structured guidance and personal development themes across Years 7 to 13.

Year 7 admissions are co-ordinated through Milton Keynes Council, with the school’s governing board as the admissions authority. For the 2026 to 2027 intake, the school sets out a clear timeline. Applications are made via the local authority by 31 October 2025, and families who name the school are sent a supplementary form. Supplementary forms and supporting evidence are due by 15 December 2025. National Offer Day is 01 March 2026.

Demand is strong in the admissions data available here, showing 580 applications against 256 offers, which indicates oversubscription. In practical terms, this means families should expect the published oversubscription criteria and supplementary evidence requirements to matter, particularly for faith-based priority categories where applicable.

SEND admissions follow a different route where an Education, Health and Care Plan is involved. The school describes specialist placements, including the communication department, as available through local authority processes rather than direct application. Families considering specialist support are encouraged to engage early with their current setting and casework teams, and the school runs SEND provision tours for Year 5 and Year 6 families so that support can be discussed in context rather than as an abstract offer.

Families weighing distance and realistic shortlisting should use FindMySchoolMap Search to check travel time from home to the school site and compare it to how admissions patterns typically play out across Milton Keynes, especially if multiple schools are being listed on the local authority form.

Pastoral structures are clearly described. Pupils join a tutor group, with form tutors overseeing progress and day-to-day contact, and each year group is led by a Year Leader supported by a Pastoral and Chaplaincy Assistant. That is a practical model for a large school, because it defines accountability and reduces the chance that quieter pupils fall between teams.

Support for pupils who find school difficult is described as integrated rather than dispersed, with a combined pastoral and safeguarding hub working alongside chaplaincy. Where staff know pupils well and can target support precisely, the impact tends to show up in better attendance, fewer behavioural escalations, and more sustained engagement with learning.

Safeguarding is treated as a baseline expectation, supported by structures and staff training rather than relying on individual vigilance. The latest inspection confirmed safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Enrichment is framed as part of the school’s broader formation, not just optional extras. The school distinguishes between curriculum enhancement activities, which sit directly alongside course content or year group needs, and curriculum enrichment activities, which reflect staff expertise and interests beyond the core timetable.

The most distinctive co-curricular thread is service. Pupils can take on chaplaincy roles, and the school describes volunteering and peer support as routine rather than exceptional, including academic mentoring and community fundraising. That matters for pupils who thrive when responsibility is normalised, and it can also provide structured routes for quieter students to contribute without needing to be the loudest voice in the room.

Trips and wider experiences are positioned as part of the offer, often supported through parent and community fundraising. The school’s parent association references residential trips to Buckden Towers, art trips to New York, language trips abroad, and an Uganda partnership visit, all of which suggest that enrichment is being used to widen horizons rather than simply reward.

For sixth formers, enrichment is also linked to progression. The sixth form materials reference pathways aimed at students targeting highly competitive university routes, alongside mentoring structures and the Extended Project Qualification.

The school day is clearly set out. Registration is at 8.50am. The school finishes at 3.35pm Monday to Thursday, and at 2.30pm on Friday.

For transport and pick-up, the school’s own materials note that on-site parking capacity is limited and that families may prefer arrangements slightly away from the immediate site at the end of the day, particularly during peak congestion.

• Sixth form outcomes are a watch point. The A-level grade distribution and the England-relative positioning in the available outcomes data suggest that families should ask direct questions about subject-level performance, support strategies, and how pathways are matched to prior attainment.

• Curriculum delivery consistency matters. The school’s ambition and breadth are clear, but the impact for individual students will depend on how consistently lessons check understanding and adapt tasks. Families with high prior attainers should ask what stretch looks like in practice in their likely subject combination.

• Admissions is process-heavy. Year 7 entry involves a supplementary form and evidence by a specific deadline, and oversubscription is clear in the available demand figures. Families need to be organised with paperwork and realistic about competitiveness.

• Specialist SEND routes require early planning. The specialist provisions described are accessed through local authority processes, not informal arrangements. Families should start conversations early, attend tours, and align expectations with the EHCP pathway.

A large, inclusive Catholic secondary with a clearly articulated mission, a structured pastoral model, and a broad curriculum offer through to Year 13. Best suited to families who value a faith-informed community culture, want a wide range of pathways and leadership roles, and are comfortable engaging with a detailed admissions process. The key decision point is fit, particularly at post-16, where students benefit most when their programme is carefully matched to strengths and aspirations.