St Mary's Catholic Academy

About St Mary's Catholic Academy

St Mary's Catholic Academy is a secondary school in Blackpool, classified by the DfE as a converter academy with a Roman Catholic religious character. Around 1,184 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 41.5 — below the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has fallen by 0.5 points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

29% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well below the national average of about 45%. 55% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. St Mary's Catholic Academy is oversubscribed: about 8 in 10 of the families who made it their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, with 245 first choices for 204 places. After Year 11, 92% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 7.4%. There are about 14.3 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 37% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. 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.