St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy Review 2026: A Catholic secondary in St Helens focused on routines, reading, and steady improvement

A school can change quickly when expectations become predictable. Here, the pattern is clear: consistent routines in lessons, a defined behaviour culture, and a strong emphasis on reading as the gateway for progress across subjects. The latest inspection describes students as happy and proud, and links that culture to improving achievement and calmer conduct in classrooms and social spaces.

This is a state-funded Roman Catholic secondary for students aged 11 to 16, serving Blackbrook and the wider St Helens community. It operates within St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust, following academy conversion in April 2022.

For families wanting a faith-based education with structured classroom norms and a clear focus on rebuilding strong academic habits, the direction of travel will matter as much as the headline grades.

The tone here is shaped by clarity. Classroom routines are designed to reduce low-level disruption, so lessons can move in deliberate steps, with practice and checking for understanding built in. The inspection report describes a “no-excuse culture” and connects it to rising self-belief and stronger academic outcomes across the curriculum.

Values are used as everyday language rather than display-only statements. Students are described as embracing aspiration, belief and compassion; the report includes practical examples such as an eco-team installing recycling bins in the canteen, and students taking on responsibilities as form representatives and wellbeing or anti-bullying ambassadors.

Leadership continuity matters in turnarounds. The headteacher is Mrs Giselle Lynch, and earlier Ofsted correspondence records that she joined the predecessor school in summer 2019, giving several years of sustained leadership through improvement work and then conversion into the academy.

The Catholic identity is explicit. The school describes its mission as rooted in Gospel teaching and frames daily life around aspiration, belief and compassion, linked to prayer and service.

This review focuses on the most reliable indicators available for comparison, including the FindMySchool ranking and the published GCSE performance measures for England.

GCSE ranking context

Ranked 2,397th in England and 3rd in St Helens for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This performance sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

At GCSE level, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 44.9. The Progress 8 figure is -0.06, indicating outcomes close to national expectations once prior attainment is considered, with a small negative tilt.

In the English Baccalaureate, the average point score is 3.65 compared with an England average of 4.08. The percentage achieving grade 5 or above across EBacc subjects is 11.7.

A key contextual point from the most recent inspection is that published key stage 4 outcomes were described as reflecting earlier weaker curriculum and behaviour, while current work scrutiny indicated stronger learning over time. The practical implication for families is that results may lag behind internal improvement for a period, and the trajectory matters as much as the snapshot.

Parents comparing nearby schools will often find it helpful to use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view results side by side, especially when weighing similar schools across St Helens.

Curriculum structure is a stated strength. External review describes a broad and ambitious curriculum that is sequenced to build knowledge over time, with teachers using strong subject knowledge and clear explanations, followed by regular practice and consolidation.

Assessment for learning is not treated as an add-on. The inspection report highlights frequent checking of what students know, quick identification of misconceptions, and deliberate repetition and recall so learning “sticks” rather than moving on too early. The implication for students is a classroom experience that values mastery and security, which can be particularly helpful for those who lose confidence when content moves too quickly.

Reading is positioned as a cross-school priority. The report describes reading as central, with targeted support for students who have gaps, including those at early stages of reading development, so they can catch up with peers. For families with a child whose literacy needs strengthening at the start of secondary, that is a meaningful indicator of practical support rather than rhetoric.

Languages and EBacc entry appear to be an improvement focus. The inspection notes that the number of students opting for the EBacc suite is rising, linked to strengthening of the modern foreign languages curriculum.

As an 11 to 16 school, the key transition is post-16. The careers education and guidance policy sets out a planned programme for Years 7 to 11, aligned to Gatsby Benchmarks, and delivered through a mixture of curriculum time and external guidance. It also states that Year 11 students receive a personalised careers interview with an independent careers specialist service.

The practical implication is that the school aims to make post-16 choices structured rather than last-minute. For many families, this is where the value lies: support in deciding between sixth forms, colleges, apprenticeships, and training routes, and in understanding entry requirements and application timelines.

Because specific destination breakdowns are not published in a detailed, text-based format on the school website, families who want a precise picture should ask directly about the most common local post-16 routes, and how many students typically take A-level versus vocational pathways.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through St Helens Council, with the closing date for applications for September 2026 stated as 31 October 2025, and offers released on 2 March 2026.

The school also requires a supplementary faith form for applicants who wish to be considered under faith-based criteria, with supporting evidence such as a baptism certificate, First Holy Communion certificate, or a letter from an appropriate faith leader, as set out on the admissions guidance for 2026 to 2027.

Appeals timings are published for the September 2026 cycle, with appeals to be lodged by 1 April 2026 and heard on 18 June 2026, subject to change.

Open evenings are part of the decision-making process, and the school’s pages show these have been scheduled in September in prior cycles. Families considering later entry years should treat early autumn as the typical open-evening season and confirm dates directly with the school.

If your family is weighing multiple options where distance may become a deciding factor, the FindMySchool Map Search is useful for checking routes and practical travel time, even where formal distance cut-offs are not published.

Pastoral culture is described as grounded in mutual respect and strong relationships between students and staff, with students confident that staff want the best for them. The inspection report also notes that students understand how to keep themselves safe, including online, around water, and in relationships, and that the personal development programme is designed to prepare students for life in modern Britain.

Behaviour is described as calm at social times, with embedded routines in lessons to support undisrupted learning. The school’s behaviour approach includes practical tools such as ‘ABC’ cards to encourage positive conduct, and a stated aim to create an environment enabling pupils to overcome barriers and flourish.

Attendance is treated as a strategic lever. The inspection notes that absence rates have decreased following targeted strategies, and links this to a climate where most pupils want to learn.

A realistic note for parents of students with additional needs: the inspection identifies SEND information as sometimes too generic to help staff tailor learning, meaning some students with SEND do not access the curriculum as well as they could. Families considering admission with a known need should ask how individual student profiles are translated into practical classroom adjustments, and how staff are supported to apply them consistently.

The latest Ofsted report states that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular life is used to build belonging and responsibility, not just to fill a timetable. The inspection report points to a wide set of sporting clubs, and highlights a weekly darts match that draws spectators while reinforcing numeracy in an informal setting.

For students who prefer creative or performance routes, music provision includes clubs such as choir, music ensemble, keyboard club, and a samba band, with opportunities to perform in seasonal shows and concerts.

Transition materials for new Year 7 students list clubs including football, netball, chess club, singing club, and design technology, giving a practical sense of what a new student can join quickly in the first term.

Design and technology also references engagement with national competitions such as Design Ventura, which can be a strong motivator for students who learn best through making, testing, and presenting ideas.

On the leadership and service side, the inspection report describes democratically chosen student leaders and structured student voice roles, including anti-bullying ambassadors. The implication is that students who want responsibility have clear routes to earn it, and students who need confidence can see older peers modelling it.

The school day runs from 08:30 to 15:00, with a free breakfast club open to all students from 08:15 to 08:30. The published schedule includes a daily Sacred Time or assembly slot at the start of the day.

For travel planning, St Helens Central is a key local rail hub for the area, and families typically combine rail with local bus routes or a short onward journey depending on where they live.

As with most state secondaries, families should also budget for the practical extras that sit outside tuition, such as uniform, trips, and optional activities, and ask the school how costs are managed for pupils eligible for additional support.

• SEND classroom precision. External review notes that some SEND information given to staff can be too generic, limiting how well learning is adapted for some pupils. Families should ask how individual plans are translated into day-to-day teaching strategies.

• A small minority of behaviour concerns. While behaviour is described as calm overall, a small group of pupils are reported as not meeting expectations, with a negative effect on their own achievement. It is worth asking how the school targets support for this group and how quickly issues are addressed.

• Results versus trajectory. The inspection report frames published outcomes as reflecting an earlier weaker period, with current work indicating stronger learning. Families may want to discuss how improvement is being measured now, and what changes are expected to show up in future published results.

• Faith-based admissions requirements. Applicants relying on Catholic criteria should expect to complete a supplementary faith form and provide supporting evidence. This is straightforward when documents are in place, but it adds an extra administrative step that can be missed in a busy application season.

St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Academy is a school with a clearly articulated improvement model: consistent routines, a reading-first approach, and a behaviour culture designed to protect learning time. The most recent inspection supports the picture of a calmer, more purposeful environment with growing student responsibility and stronger teaching consistency.

It will suit families who value a Catholic ethos, appreciate structure, and want a school that is focused on steady academic rebuilding rather than quick fixes. The best next step is to evaluate fit through an open event and a focused set of questions about SEND adaptation, behaviour follow-through for the small minority, and post-16 guidance.