St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
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St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy is a converter academy in Clitheroe for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 1,117 pupils, 42 more than it has places for. About 15 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 58 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 55% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Elker Lane, Billington, Elker Lane, Billington, Clitheroe, BB7 9JA01254 823362sarchs.comMrs Claire Hunt headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 6 December 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
216 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 216 | 231 | 212 | 211 | 199 | 196 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 44.9 | 48.2 | 46.3 | 50.4 | 50.3 | 54.8 | 46.0 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.19 | -0.16 | +0.15 | +0.37 | +0.77 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 42% | 47% | 47% | 55% | 48% | 54% | 44% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 66% | 70% | 72% | 71% | 75% | 78% | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.75 | 4.00 | 3.80 | 4.16 | 4.18 | 4.63 | 4.04 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 21% | 20% | 13% | 18% | 24% | 29% | 35% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 26.7 | 28.5 | 31.6 | 37.6 | 43.1 | 46.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 48.3 | 51.0 | 49.0 | 52.6 | 51.4 | 55.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 30.7 | 26.4 | 31.6 | 26.3 | 31.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 64.4 | 60.9 | 67.6 | 62.1 | 67.3 | – | – |
† These results are for St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, Billington, the school this one replaced in December 2022. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 19 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Computer Science (34% here, 56% across England), Design & Technology (29% here, 50% across England), Geography (35% here, 51% across England), Physics (67% here, 82% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 211 | 16% | 50% | 73% | 53% | 1,667 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 211 | 15% | 51% | 73% | 54% | 1,737 of 3,210 |
| Religious Studies | 208 | 23% | 55% | 68% | 60% | 1,161 of 1,825 |
| English Literature | 194 | 21% | 58% | 73% | 58% | 1,420 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 153 | 6% | 29% | 54% | 36% | 1,920 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 96 | 14% | 35% | 54% | 51% | 2,368 of 3,116 |
| Spanish | 60 | 27% | 60% | 70% | 54% | 805 of 1,941 |
| Chemistry | 57 | 26% | 70% | 90% | 81% | 1,942 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 57 | 33% | 74% | 91% | 82% | 1,875 of 2,570 |
| Physics | 57 | 26% | 67% | 81% | 82% | 2,049 of 2,546 |
| History | 52 | 21% | 54% | 64% | 52% | 1,330 of 3,126 |
| Art and Design | 41 | 29% | 73% | 83% | 58% | 724 of 2,818 |
| Physical Education | 33 | 18% | 64% | 82% | 56% | 588 of 1,559 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 32 | 22% | 75% | 84% | 52% | 166 of 1,098 |
| Computer Science | 32 | 0% | 34% | 53% | 56% | 1,491 of 1,861 |
| Design & Technology | 24 | 4% | 29% | 46% | 50% | 1,176 of 1,478 |
| French | 18 | 39% | 94% | 94% | 60% | – |
| Drama | 9 | 0% | 22% | 56% | 60% | – |
| Music | 6 | 33% | 33% | 83% | 61% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
About 70 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Lancashire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (77), Specific learning difficulty (55), language and communications needs (33), Autistic spectrum disorder (26), Other difficulty or disability (18), Moderate learning difficulty (16).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,117 | 1,129 | 1,128 | 1,107 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 16% | 15% | 14% | 12% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 13% | 8% | 5% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 6% | 4% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.2% | 7.6% | 8.2% | 7.7% | 4.3% | 4.5% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.3% | 6.0% | 6.9% | 6.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.9% | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 22.3% | 23.3% | 22.9% | 24.2% | 10.1% | 10.8% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 24.4 | 18.5 | 12.8 | 9.2 | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, Billington, the school this one replaced in December 2022. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 212 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 91%, compared with 94% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers |
|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 94% | 90% |
| Education | 79% | 75% |
| Apprenticeship | 11% | 11% |
| Work | 4% | 3% |
| Not in education, work or training | 4% | 7% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hyndburn Academy | Academy | 3.1 miles | 641 | Report card 2026 | 18 | Compare |
| Ribblesdale School | Council | 3.8 miles | 1,437 | No overall grade 2025 | 44 | Compare |
| Pleckgate High School | Academy | 4.2 miles | 1,339 | Outstanding 2024 | 79 | Compare |
| Accrington St Christopher's Church of England High School | Academy | 4.3 miles | 1,280 | Report card 2026 | 61 | Compare |
| Accrington Academy | Academy | 4.3 miles | 953 | No overall grade 2025 | 12 | Compare |
| Clitheroe Royal Grammar School | Academy (grammar) | 4.4 miles | 1,496 | Outstanding 2022 | 98 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 58 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 58% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 47 to 67. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | -0.02 | 2025 and 2024 results; 216 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 2.8 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.06 | DfE progress measure; 216 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.05 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.01 | 2024/25; 1,143 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.04 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 216 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | above | +0.02 | 212 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy a good school?
It is about average. St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy scores 58 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 55% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 47 to 67, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy good at its last full inspection on 6 December 2023.
How good are St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 42% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 44.9, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy have?
1,117 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,075 places, so it is 104% full.
Is St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 70 places were empty in 2024/25 (6% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
Pupils were in school 91.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
The average class had 24.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 27% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 94% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Elker Lane, Billington, Elker Lane, Billington, Clitheroe, BB7 9JA
- Telephone
- 01254 823362
- Website
- www.sarchs.com
- Headteacher
- Mrs Claire Hunt
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic, Diocese of Salford
- Multi-academy trust
- Romero Catholic Academy Trust (18 schools)
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Ward
- Billington & Langho
- Constituency
- Ribble Valley
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 December 2022 (academy converter)
- URN
- 149457 · LAESTAB 8884725 · UKPRN 10091417
- Formerly
- St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, Billington
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.