Greyfriars Catholic School Review 2026: Catholic secondary with a sixth form, shaped by clear routines and a broad enrichment offer

Greyfriars Catholic School sits in East Oxford and serves students aged 11 to 19. It operates as a Catholic comprehensive with a sixth form, part of a wider Catholic multi-academy trust, and has a strong emphasis on a shared set of routines and expectations known as the Greyfriars Way.

The school’s current form is relatively new. It opened as a secondary school in January 2021 following the disaggregation of its predecessor all-through school. That matters for parents reading older commentary, because recent systems, culture, and leadership are best understood through the school’s current policies and the latest official evidence.

Families will find a school that explicitly balances knowledge, care, and ambition, and backs that up with structured personal development, student leadership roles, and a distinctive enrichment programme that runs as part of the weekly timetable. For many, the key question is fit: Greyfriars is a good match for students who do well with clarity, routine, and adult guidance, and who benefit from opportunities that build confidence gradually rather than expecting instant independence.

The current culture is built around calm, respectful behaviour and consistency, with students expected to follow a shared code that makes routines predictable across the day. This can be reassuring for children who value structure, and it also supports learning because lessons are less likely to be interrupted by low-level disruption.

Catholic identity is visible in how the school talks about dignity, service, and community, while also being explicit that students of all faiths and none are part of the school community. In practice, that tends to translate into pastoral language that is values-led, plus a strong emphasis on charity and social action. The school’s enrichment offer includes a compulsory community strand for at least one term each year, which may involve charity work, gardening, or a school newspaper, and sixth formers support younger groups as part of their leadership development.

There is also a clear sense of pride in the school’s recent trajectory. The focus is on rebuilding confidence in the local community and restoring trust through better routines, stronger teaching, and a more engaging curriculum that includes additional music and drama compared with previous years.

Greyfriars is ranked 2,944th in England and 14th in Oxford for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places performance below the England average overall.

At GCSE, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 40.4, and Progress 8 is -0.04, indicating outcomes close to national expectations for progress, with a small negative variance. The school’s EBacc entry and achievement are low, with 8.3% achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc and an EBacc average point score of 3.5.

For sixth form outcomes, Greyfriars is ranked 2,555th in England and 21st in Oxford for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). A-level grades show A* at 0.66%, A at 1.97%, B at 3.95%, and A* to B at 6.58%.

What should parents take from this? The headline is that Greyfriars is not currently a results-led school in the way a high-attaining selective or high-performing sixth form college might be. Instead, it is a school where the strongest evidence points to improvements in culture, curriculum breadth, and consistency of teaching, with outcomes that still have ground to make up against England’s strongest schools. That makes open evenings, conversations with staff, and a clear view of support systems particularly important for families considering the school.

Parents comparing multiple local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and the Comparison Tool to view GCSE and A-level performance side-by-side and weigh outcomes alongside distance, ethos, and admissions rules.

Teaching at Greyfriars is built around clear explanations and a curriculum that aims to be ambitious and broad. A key strength is the drive for consistency across subjects, so students know what “good learning” looks like in different classrooms, not only in one department.

A practical example of this approach is the attention given to literacy and vocabulary. The school uses planned reading sessions in tutor time and supports students who find reading harder through targeted strategies. Students with English as an additional language are supported with explicit vocabulary teaching that is designed to help them access subject content, not only to improve general fluency.

The main implication for parents is that Greyfriars is seeking to build academic confidence through routines and repetition, rather than assuming students will drive their own learning from day one. That can suit students who need a clear framework and are building study habits, particularly during Key Stage 3.

Greyfriars has a sixth form, and its published leaver destinations data for the 2023 to 2024 cohort shows a mixed pattern. 54% progressed to university, 5% to further education, 3% to apprenticeships, and 23% entered employment, from a cohort of 74.

As a school that serves a broad intake, the range of destinations is often a better indicator than any single metric. For some students, the priority is a supported route into higher education, including a strong UCAS process. For others, the right outcome is a secure apprenticeship or employment pathway. Greyfriars explicitly references employer engagement and careers support as part of the student experience, and the school’s programme includes careers-linked trips such as visits to Oxford colleges, RAF Benson, and the Kassam Stadium as part of careers education.

Where the school can be especially effective is for students who benefit from guidance in planning next steps. The sixth form experience is positioned as structured, with mentoring, personal development, and academic support, and a clear expectation that students contribute to school life through leadership roles and community groups.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Oxfordshire County Council, with Greyfriars also requesting that families complete a Supplementary Information Form alongside the local authority application.

For September 2026 entry into Year 7, Oxfordshire’s published timeline states:

• Applications open 12 September 2025

• Application deadline 31 October 2025

• National offer day 2 March 2026

Greyfriars runs open events in the autumn term that align with this cycle. For the 2026 entry round, the school lists an Open Evening on 02 October 2025, followed by Open Mornings on 06, 07, and 08 October 2025, with booking required for the morning tours.

Admission remains the practical hurdle for many families, not because of selection, but because timing and documentation matter. In Catholic schools, supplementary forms typically relate to faith priority criteria and supporting evidence, so families should read the school’s admissions policy carefully and be realistic about the likelihood of securing a place under each category.

If you are assessing proximity as part of your shortlist, the FindMySchool Map Search tool is useful for checking your likely distance and comparing it with typical demand patterns, even where the school does not publish a single fixed catchment boundary.

Pastoral care at Greyfriars is tied closely to routine and predictability. Students are supported through a tutor structure and wider pastoral roles, with an emphasis on relationships and steady adult presence, rather than leaving students to manage concerns alone. The school describes a model where students have clear points of contact for day-to-day support.

The strongest external reassurance for parents is safeguarding. Inspectors confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The main pastoral development area to watch is attendance. Official findings highlight that a small group of students do not attend as regularly as they should, and the school recognises the need to strengthen its approach so that these students do not miss essential learning time. This matters because attendance interacts directly with outcomes, particularly at GCSE and in the sixth form.

Greyfriars has two co-curricular strands that parents should understand, because they work differently.

First, there is a traditional clubs and activities offer running at tutor time, break, and after school, including options such as choir, chess, and sports clubs. The clubs page is broad rather than itemised, so families who want a specific activity should ask what is running this term and how places are allocated.

Second, there is the structured enrichment programme. This is central to Greyfriars’ wider offer because it is built into the weekly rhythm. Students complete a different enrichment course each short term, for one hour per week, giving them regular access to experiences beyond the examined curriculum. The school describes examples such as charity work, a school newspaper, and gardening, and displays enrichment work in the school atrium at the end of each term so families can see what students have produced.

At sixth form, leadership and enrichment become more explicit. The school describes a house system and student leadership roles, including a Student Hub run by house teams and a pop-up library model. Sixth form community groups listed include a STEM group, Sustainable Schools, sport ambassadors, and a culture group, all designed to build confidence, responsibility, and practical experience that can support higher education and employment applications.

Trips are another distinctive feature because they link to careers and cultural education. Examples include local visits to Oxford colleges, Oxford Magistrates’ Court, Oxford Castle, and the North Wall Arts Centre, plus further travel such as French Christmas markets in December 2024 and theatre trips in London.

Greyfriars states that registration starts at 8.45am and the school day finishes at 3.10pm, with teaching time totalling 32 hours and 5 minutes per week.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still plan for the usual costs associated with secondary school, such as uniform, transport, and optional trips. For wraparound care, the school does not position itself as a before-and-after-school provision in the way primary schools do; families needing early drop-off or late collection should clarify current arrangements directly with the school.

• Outcomes remain below England average. The school’s GCSE and A-level rankings sit in the lower tier in England, so families should ask how current teaching consistency and curriculum changes are translating into exam readiness and study habits over time.

• Attendance is a stated improvement priority. Official findings highlight that a small group of students have attendance that is not yet where it should be, and this can affect learning continuity.

• Support for SEND is still bedding in. Formal findings indicate the school has identified students who need additional support and is developing staff practice, but that implementation is not yet consistently effective across all classrooms.

• Admissions requires attention to process. Year 7 applications run through the local authority, but the school also requests a supplementary form, and missing a deadline can significantly reduce your chance of securing a place.

Greyfriars Catholic School is a structured Catholic secondary with a sixth form, built around clear routines, leadership opportunities, and a timetabled enrichment programme that aims to broaden students’ confidence and experience. The latest official evidence points to a calm culture and a curriculum that has been widened, with safeguarding confirmed as effective, while academic outcomes remain an area for further improvement.

Best suited to families who want a Catholic ethos within a comprehensive intake, and for students who benefit from clarity, consistency, and adult guidance as they build learning habits. The main decision point is whether the school’s improving culture and support systems align with your child’s needs and aspirations, particularly if exam outcomes are a primary driver for your shortlist.