St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy

Academy converter·Secondary school Ilkley, Leeds·LS29 6AE
Composite score
68.8
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#469
National rank
#25
In Yorkshire and The Humber
#7
In Leeds
Top 15%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
55.0
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
60%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
80%
% EBacc grade 5+
40%
EBacc average points score
5.10

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Safeguarding effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision
Outstanding

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
95%
179 first choices, 201 places
First choices per place
0.89
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
892
any preference, for 201 places
Last place offered lived
3.69 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 5937 m
Applications from another council area
44%
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.16
00.511.5
1 per place
0.9720220.9720230.9620241.0520250.892026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
1,213
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
7.8%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
6.9%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
11.9%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
1.2%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
7.6%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
18.8%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
17.7
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,316
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
97%
202 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
91%
Apprenticeship
5%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

School overview

St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy is a secondary school serving Ilkley, Leeds, classified by the DfE as a converter academy with a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 1,213 pupils aged 11 to 18 on roll. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 55.0 — above the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has fallen by 1.5 points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 15% of secondary schools in England.

60% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well above the national average of about 45%. 80% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. 95% of the families who made St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, even though the school made at least as many offers as it had first choices - the rest withdrew, moved or fell outside a priority group. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 3.69 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. After Year 11, 97% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 7.6%. There are about 17.7 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 8% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

Compare St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy with another school