St Patrick's Catholic College, A Voluntary Catholic Academy Review 2026: Catholic secondary with strong safeguarding and structured transition

A school with deep Catholic roots in Thornaby, and a modern secondary chapter that began when the current building opened in 1964. The wider St Patrick’s education story stretches further back, with the first school in the parish described as opening in 1872.

Today, the experience is shaped by a clear mission language, Faith, Family, Future, and a noticeable emphasis on behaviour, calm classrooms, and personal development. The most recent graded inspection (September 2021) judged the school Good across all areas, with safeguarding confirmed as effective.

This is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. Competition for Year 7 places exists, but not at the extreme levels seen in some urban schools. In the most recent published admissions cycle, 191 applications were recorded against 116 offers for the Year 7 entry route, alongside an overall status of oversubscribed.

St Patrick’s presents itself as a Catholic community first, and a secondary school second. That is not a branding exercise. The mission and values content is explicit about the school’s grounding in Gospel values, and it frames “Faith, Family, Future” as the organising idea behind both expectations and support.

The tone, as described in formal external reporting, is purposeful and settled. Students are described as polite and courteous; behaviour is treated as a core strength rather than an afterthought. Bullying is characterised as rare, with students reporting confidence that adults resolve issues quickly and effectively. That combination matters, because it reduces the daily friction that can otherwise dominate secondary school life and it creates space for learning to happen consistently.

Leadership is structured in a trust context. Get Information About Schools lists Miss Deborah Law as headteacher or principal. The school’s own staff listing also shows an Executive Headteacher role alongside the headteacher position, which is common in multi academy trust models where improvement capacity is shared across sites. Earlier trust communications publicly confirm the appointment of Mr Michael Burns as permanent headteacher in September 2019, which is relevant background for understanding the school’s recent improvement journey.

A useful indicator of culture is how leadership is handed to students. The pupil leadership framework is unusually detailed, with named strands including Wellbeing, Diversity and Inclusion, Eco and Sustainability, Charity and Community, and sport leadership. For families, that signals two things. First, student voice is formalised rather than informal. Second, values education is intended to show up in roles and routines, not only assemblies.

St Patrick’s is an 11 to 16 secondary, so GCSE outcomes are the key academic data point.

In FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking (based on official data), the school is ranked 2,679th in England and 11th in Stockton-on-Tees. This reflects solid performance, in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The latest published Attainment 8 score is 44.6. The Progress 8 score is -0.18. A negative Progress 8 score indicates that, on average, students made slightly less progress than peers nationally with similar prior attainment across eight subjects, although individual experiences can vary widely by subject set and support.

For families comparing local options, it is usually worth using the FindMySchool Local Hub page and the Comparison Tool to view GCSE outcomes side by side, especially where progress and attainment tell slightly different stories.

The September 2021 inspection narrative points to a broad curriculum that aims to build knowledge over time, with strong routine in how teachers check what students remember and can apply. Mathematics is highlighted as a relative strength, with students developing fluency and achieving well. Reading is also treated as a strategic priority, with structured support for those who need to catch up.

The areas flagged for improvement are specific, and that specificity is useful. Consistency in English and French teaching, including subject knowledge and adherence to curriculum plans, is named as a priority, alongside improving attendance for students who are persistently absent. For parents, that translates into practical questions to ask during a visit or information evening, for example: how has subject training been strengthened in English and French, and what has changed in attendance monitoring since 2021.

Support for students with special educational needs and disabilities is described as effective in the inspection report, with the expectation that students follow the same curriculum as peers and receive appropriate adaptation. The school’s own SEND information also emphasises early identification and structured support planning, which aligns with that external picture.

Because the school finishes at 16, the key destination question is post 16 choice rather than university statistics.

The school publishes a careers programme offer that includes access to a named careers adviser and structured careers interviews, with all Year 11 students automatically timetabled for an interview. That is a meaningful practical support, because it reduces the risk of students drifting into an unsuitable course choice or missing application windows.

For families considering a Catholic post 16 route within the same trust family, the Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust operates Trinity Sixth Form (T6) in Middlesbrough, with its own admissions pathway. Students will also consider local further education colleges and training providers, and the school’s published approach explicitly references exposure to a range of post 16 and post 18 options, including vocational training and apprenticeships.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Stockton-on-Tees, rather than direct application to the school, and the key deadline is clear.

For September 2026 entry, the local authority deadline is 31 October 2025. The coordinated timetable for 2026 to 2027 confirms that offers are issued on 1 March 2026 or the next working day, and Stockton guidance states that in 2026 this falls on Monday 2 March 2026 for secondary offers.

The school’s own Year 6 transition page is unusually detailed and may be particularly reassuring for families who want clarity early. It lists a Year 6 Welcome Evening on Tuesday 1 July, transition days on Tuesday 8 July and Wednesday 9 July, and it sets out the annual rhythm of primary school visits, offer day communication, and summer term taster activity.

Demand data indicates the Year 7 entry route is oversubscribed, with 191 applications against 116 offers in the most recent published cycle. That is not an automatic barrier, but it does mean families should treat deadlines and paperwork as non negotiable, especially where supplementary faith information is required.

The strongest single reassurance point is safeguarding. The September 2021 inspection report states that safeguarding arrangements are effective, and describes a culture where staff are trained, vigilant, and clear on reporting processes.

Pastoral support is also visible in student leadership structures. A designated Wellbeing strand, alongside Diversity and Inclusion leadership and Charity and Community roles, is a practical way to keep student voice connected to daily experience rather than one off events.

Attendance is the main wellbeing adjacent challenge flagged externally. The report is explicit that some students do not attend as regularly as they should, and it notes the school is working closely with families to address this. For many families, this matters because attendance is closely linked to GCSE success, especially in subjects where knowledge builds cumulatively.

Enrichment at St Patrick’s is not presented as a generic list. Several named activities show a clear pattern of combining personal development, careers exposure, and creative outlets.

Duke of Edinburgh is a standing offer, positioned as a commitment based programme that builds skills and confidence across Year 10. There is also a structured stream of experiences linked to careers and wider learning, including a BAE Systems themed roadshow for younger year groups, and organised participation in STEMFEST with defined sector themes such as space, technology, e sports, energy, and manufacturing. For students who learn best by connecting classroom content to real applications, those experiences can make the curriculum feel more relevant.

Creative and performing opportunities are concrete. The music offer includes a weekly Music Club, free tuition in instruments including guitar, keyboard and drums, a choir that performs in school and in the wider community, and a weekly rehearsing brass band. That combination can suit students who want low barrier access to music without relying on private tuition.

Practical, hands on learning is also supported. Design and Technology lists a DT Craft Club for Key Stage 3 and lunchtime KS4 DT Workspaces across three Design Technology classrooms, aimed at coursework support and skill development. Trips referenced for older students include links to specialist destinations such as the Northern School of Art for textiles, and visits to employers such as Caterpillar and Nissan for engineering.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

The published school day structure shows a start at 08:30 and an end at 14:35, with breakfast club from 08:00 and after school enrichment listed from 14:35 to 15:35.

For travel, Thornaby railway station is the nearest named rail hub in the immediate area and it is a practical option for families coming from across Teesside. Day to day drop off and pick up patterns can be busy around secondary gates, so families who drive typically benefit from planning a slightly earlier arrival, particularly on wet weather days.

• Progress measures. The Progress 8 score of -0.18 suggests that outcomes, on average, sit slightly below what would be expected from similar starting points across England. Families may want to ask how support is targeted for students who are on the GCSE borderline.

• Consistency in specific subjects. The most recent inspection report identifies English and French as areas where teaching consistency and subject knowledge needed strengthening. It is worth asking what has changed since 2021 in those departments.

• Attendance as a strategic issue. The school’s improvement priorities include raising attendance for a subset of students. If your child has struggled with attendance historically, ask early about pastoral approaches and escalation pathways.

• No sixth form. Because students leave at 16, families need to plan post 16 options earlier. The careers interview structure helps, but choice still requires active family engagement.

St Patrick’s Catholic College offers a settled, values led secondary experience with Good inspection outcomes, strong safeguarding assurance, and a practical transition programme that reduces Year 7 uncertainty. Results sit in the middle band nationally in FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking, with clear strengths in behaviour and personal development, and identified improvement priorities in attendance and teaching consistency in specific subjects.

Best suited to families who want a Catholic ethos with clear expectations, and who value structured transition and strong pastoral organisation. For families weighing multiple local options, it is sensible to use FindMySchoolMap Search to sense check practical travel time, then compare GCSE progress and attainment indicators on the Local Hub before shortlisting.