St Bernard’s High School Review 2026: Catholic girls’ secondary with a mixed sixth form and a selective strand

St Bernard’s High School offers an unusual combination for the state sector, a girls’ school from Year 7 to Year 11, a mixed sixth form, and a defined number of selective places alongside its wider intake. The published admission number for Year 7 is 175, with up to 30 selective places available through the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex process, and the remainder allocated through faith and other oversubscription criteria.

Leadership has recently shifted. Mrs Helen Barnes became headteacher from 01 September 2025, following a governor appointment process announced in late 2024.

The school’s Catholic identity is not peripheral. A Catholic Schools Inspectorate report dated 02–03 May 2024 recorded grade 1 judgements for overall effectiveness, Catholic life and mission, religious education, and collective worship.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should, however, budget for the usual associated costs such as uniform, transport, enrichment activities, and educational visits.

The school’s Catholic character is expressed in routine as well as in formal events. The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report describes a calm and respectful atmosphere, strong parish links, and student-led service activity that is visible in day-to-day school life.

There is also a clear historical thread. The school notes that an educational provision has existed on the site since 1875, and that the Bernardine Sisters formally took over in 1910, shaping the modern identity of the school. In practice, that heritage shows up less as nostalgia and more as a values frame, a belief that learning should connect to service, and that students should be active contributors rather than passive recipients.

Pastoral structures appear deliberately organised. The school operates a house system with six houses: Annay, Clairvaux, Fountains, Hyning, Melrose, and Rievaulx. For many families, this matters as much as any headline outcome. Houses are one of the most reliable ways to make a large secondary feel smaller, and they can make transition to Year 7 less daunting by giving students a fixed identity and cross-year community.

As a girls’ school in Years 7 to 11, social dynamics tend to be shaped by that single-sex intake, while the mixed sixth form changes the tone again for Years 12 and 13. This can suit students who want a focused lower school experience and then prefer a broader social and academic mix post-16.

On GCSE outcomes, the school’s performance sits above the England midpoint in the FindMySchool ranking set. Ranked 1,136th in England and 4th locally for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it falls within the top 25% of schools in England for this measure. The published Attainment 8 score is 55.5, and Progress 8 is +0.57, both indicators that, for many students, outcomes are strong and progress is well above average.

At A-level, the picture is more mixed. Ranked 1,488th in England and 4th locally for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), results sit in line with the middle 35% of sixth forms in England (25th to 60th percentile). The grade profile shows 44.03% at A*–B, with 5.66% at A* and 8.81% at A. For families comparing sixth forms, the implication is that GCSE outcomes look like a clear strength, while sixth form outcomes may depend more heavily on subject choice, student fit, and the level of independent study a student is ready to sustain.

One practical takeaway is that this is a school where the KS3 to KS4 journey appears coherent and outcomes-driven, and where the sixth form should be assessed with slightly more nuance, including course mix and entry requirements.

Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages to line up GCSE and A-level performance side-by-side using the Comparison Tool, rather than relying on impression or reputation alone.

Teaching is framed around cumulative knowledge and structured practice. The March 2023 Ofsted inspection described a broad and ambitious curriculum, clear planning from Years 7 to 13, and teachers presenting information clearly with effective use of assessment to identify gaps.

A distinctive, named strand is Revision Evolution, a programme designed to teach students how memory works and how to revise effectively, positioned as a consistent habit rather than a last-minute intervention. For families, the implication is straightforward: the school is attempting to standardise effective study behaviours across subjects and year groups, which can reduce the gap between students who arrive with strong home study routines and those who do not.

Literacy is also treated as a cross-curricular responsibility. The school’s disciplinary literacy approach includes Reciprocal Reading prompts (Prediction, Clarification, Question, Summary) and explicit vocabulary teaching at the start of lessons. This matters because it supports access across humanities and sciences, and it is especially relevant in selective or partly selective settings where subject texts become demanding quickly.

The most credible caveat comes from the same external evidence: consistency of adaptation for students with SEND is identified as an area requiring sharper implementation, and support for students who have fallen behind in reading is described as needing more precise targeting. For parents of children with additional needs, the right next step is to ask detailed questions about how support works in specific subjects, and how impact is reviewed.

Where Students Go Next

Destination information is more detailed than many state schools publish. For Year 13 destinations, the school reports that in 2025, 84% of students progressed to higher education, 79% secured their UCAS first-choice offer, and one in five students progressed to a Russell Group university, with named destinations including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Durham, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, and Southampton. It also notes successful apprenticeships with organisations such as BAE Systems, IBM, and Google.

For families, the implication is that the sixth form route is positioned as a mix of university pathways and well-supported alternatives, rather than a single-track “university only” approach. The presence of named employers can also be reassuring for students who want a more applied route, particularly where technical opportunities are linked to credible organisations.

For post-16 movement at the end of Year 11, the school reports that in 2025, most students continued Level 3 study in a school sixth form (68%) or college sixth form (31%), with the A-level route taken by 79% and a minority following vocational routes such as BTECs. This helps parents understand that the school does not assume every student will stay on-site for sixth form, and that progression routes appear planned rather than accidental.

Admissions are best understood as two parallel routes, selective and non-selective. The published admission number is 175 for Year 7, with up to 30 selective places offered to girls who have passed the CSSE selective test and who live within the school’s priority area, with tie-breaks then applied if needed.

For non-selective places, the oversubscription criteria prioritise Catholic looked after and previously looked after children, Catholic girls from named feeder Catholic primary schools, other Catholic girls, then other categories including looked after children, catechumens and members of an Eastern Christian Church, other Christian denominations, other faiths (with evidence), and then remaining applications. The Supplementary Information Form is required to apply the criteria properly.

For September 2026 entry, the Southend-on-Sea admissions timetable states that the admissions round opens on 01 September 2025, the Common Application Form deadline is 31 October 2025, and National Offer Day is 02 March 2026. The school also states that the closing date for return of all forms is 31 October in the child’s Year 6 year, and it lists an appeal timetable with Offer Day shown as 02 March 2026 and an on-time appeals submission date of 04 April 2026.

Demand is material. The most recent admissions dataset provided shows 505 applications for 168 offers and an oversubscription ratio of 3.01 applications per place, indicating strong competition for entry. Where you live still matters for tie-breaks, but eligibility within the faith and selective criteria can be decisive.

Families considering the school should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check precise distance and to plan a realistic preference strategy, especially where oversubscription is persistent and small changes in applicant patterns can alter cut-offs.

Pastoral support appears structured around both community and individual support. The external evidence points to students feeling safe, calm behaviour around the site, and low reported bullying with confidence that issues are addressed. The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report adds detail on mentoring, chaplaincy presence, and student leadership in worship and service activity.

A useful practical indicator is how the school organises supervised spaces and routines beyond lessons. Published extracurricular materials include breakfast provision and homework support clubs, signalling that the school anticipates variation in home circumstances and study environments. For many students, this matters most during Years 10 to 13, when workload and revision expectations rise sharply.

The main evidence-based caution is about implementation consistency for some students with SEND and reading catch-up. Parents of children who need regular adaptation should ask to see how support is applied in mainstream classrooms, and what happens when a student starts to fall behind.

Extracurricular provision is broad and, importantly, named and structured. Performing and creative arts include Chamber Choir, Orchestra, Dance Company, LAMDA, Musical Theatre, and school productions. Music also has a competitive and public-facing dimension, with the Chamber Choir reported as performing at events such as the Festival of Female Voices and entering competitions including the Southend Music Festival.

Sport is present across multiple disciplines, with activities listed including netball, football, athletics, badminton, basketball, and cross country, and timetable-based clubs such as fitness sessions. For students, the implication is that there are routes for both casual participation and more committed involvement, and that lunchtime and after-school structures create regular habit rather than one-off opportunity.

There is also a noticeable range of lower-stakes, interest-led clubs, which can be critical for belonging. Published examples include Debating, Sustainability, Anime, Crochet, Board Games, Classical Civilisation, Languages, and Coding. The school’s year group materials also refer to the Big Sister Programme and student-led leadership activity.

Faith-based extracurricular life is not just liturgy. The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report describes youth ministry roles, charitable fundraising, and links to organisations such as CAFOD and the St Vincent de Paul Society, with a stated need to deepen students’ understanding of the Catholic social teaching underpinning that work. That “service plus reflection” approach will suit some students strongly, especially those who like responsibility and purpose-driven activity.

One operational note is that some provision changes over time. For example, a 2024 letter indicates that the school could no longer run Duke of Edinburgh as an in-house extracurricular award at that point, with guidance to access it through an external open group instead. Families for whom DofE is important should check the current position each year.

The school day starts with gates closing at 8.40am and ends at 3.20pm, with a timetable structured into three main lessons plus breaks and lunch.

Transport is a realistic consideration in this part of Westcliff. School materials describe the site as around a 10-minute walk from Westcliff Station and Southend Victoria Station, with road access nearby. The school also publishes information about a minibus service with listed stops in parts of Essex, which may be relevant for some commuting families.

Parking is limited. Year group guidance notes there is no parking on site and surrounding streets operate residential permits, with nearby pay car parks referenced for events.

• Admissions complexity and competition. Entry combines a selective route (up to 30 places) with faith-based oversubscription criteria for the remaining intake. This suits families who want a structured, criteria-driven process, but it does require careful planning and disciplined paperwork.

• Faith expectations are real. The school’s Catholic mission, parish links, chaplaincy activity, and worship life are central to identity, even while admitting girls of any faith or none. Families uncomfortable with a clearly Catholic environment should explore alternatives early.

• SEND and reading catch-up consistency. External evidence highlights strong support overall, but also identifies that a minority of teaching does not consistently adapt work for students with SEND, and that reading catch-up support needed sharper targeting at the time of review. For families with additional needs, this is an area to probe in detail.

• Travel and logistics. The day runs to 3.20pm and the site has limited parking. A workable commute matters, particularly for students considering after-school activities and sixth form study expectations.

St Bernard’s High School is a high-demand Catholic girls’ school with a mixed sixth form and a small selective intake embedded within a wider admissions framework. GCSE outcomes and the strength of whole-school culture stand out, supported by named teaching and learning initiatives such as Revision Evolution and a substantial extracurricular programme. It suits families who value a clearly Catholic ethos, are prepared for a criteria-driven admissions process, and want an academically ambitious environment with structured support for study habits. The limiting factor is usually admission, rather than the educational offer once a place is secured.