School Chooser

St Bede's Catholic Middle School

Middle · ages 9-13MixedAcademyRoman Catholic646 pupilsRedditchWorcestershire
School Chooser Score · secondary phase
64
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 42 to 79
Out of 100. Better than 38% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
Primary phase: 55, in line with similar schools
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, January 2023
Reached the expected level at 1163%England 63%
Attendance94.8%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families17%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull646 pupils, 640 places
Pupils per teacher20.7School workforce census

St Bede's Catholic Middle School is a converter academy in Redditch for boys and girls aged 9 to 13. It has 646 pupils, 6 more than it has places for. About 17 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 64 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 38% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Holloway Lane, Redditch, B98 7HA01527 525916st-bedes.worcs.sch.ukMr Lloyd Roberts prijncipalAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 18 January 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

157 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1163%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 55%55%20172018: 68%68%20182019: 73%73%20192023: 71%71%20232024: 72%72%20242025: 63%63%2025
Since 2017: +8%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WorcestershireEngland
Pupils tested157162167165163155
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths63%72%71%73%68%55%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%10%7%8%7%4%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0106.0105.0106.0105.0103.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0106.0105.0105.0103.0102.0104.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0106.0105.0109.0106.0105.0104.4105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard73%85%80%84%83%66%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard87%85%93%85%75%69%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)75%84%84%85%82%71%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.3+0.7+0.4-1.8
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.4-0.1-1.1-2.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged56%86%62%61%62%34%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged64%69%72%76%70%61%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

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. Every gap at this school 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 the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
56%64%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
63%63%
No gapEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
65%63%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%3%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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

Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Full648 pupils for 640 places, 2024/25
101% full

The school is full, with 8 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 950 m away in 2022, 740 m away in 2021. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child who qualified under the faith rule (Non catholic - distance only), so all the places were taken before distance came into it.

EntryPlacesHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Secondary160(faith)LA
2025 Secondary160(faith)LA
2024 Secondary160(faith)LA
2023 Secondary160(faith)LA
2022 Secondary160950 m (faith)LA
2021 Secondary160740 m (faith)LA
2020 Secondary160(faith)LA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

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.

Pupils on roll646Census January 2026
Places640101% full
Pupils from low-income families17%17% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English36%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%88 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%14 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.825 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils40%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)17%£148,200 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls321 / 325
White British pupils52%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (25), emotional and mental health (19), Other difficulty or disability (17), Moderate learning difficulty (15), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (9), Specific learning difficulty (8).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll646647652669660654
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals17%18%15%14%14%13%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language36%35%30%31%31%31%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%14%13%18%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%1%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance94.8%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.2%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.92024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.2%5.2%5.8%5.9%2.9%4.6%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.2%4.0%4.6%4.9%2.5%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.2%1.2%1.0%0.4%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.2%10.2%13.8%14.1%6.6%10.2%23.9%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.91.54.33.90.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers31.2full-time equivalent, 33 people
Pupils per teacher20.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers94%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,738
Teachers who left in the year3%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.92024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£5,771England £7,965. Total £3.7m
Income per pupil£6,677England £8,423. Total £4.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,572England £4,444
Money in reserve10%A healthy amount put by: £441k, £681 per pupil. England 10%
Money in against money out+£586kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,771spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m24512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate73 per 1,000 people20% lower than the England average
Typical house price£255,000Redditch
Nearest bus stop80 mSt. Bede's School, 20 stops within 500 m

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.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St George's CofE First School and NurseryAcademy360 m170Requires improvement 20241Compare
Oak Hill First SchoolAcademy600 m440Not inspectedCompare
Woodfield AcademyAcademy660 m542No overall grade 202410Compare
Trinity High School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy950 m958Good 202429Compare
Heart of Worcestershire CollegeFurther education970 mNot inspectedCompare
The Forge Secondary Short Stay SchoolPupil referral unit0.7 miles20Good 2024Compare
St Stephen's CofE First SchoolAcademy0.8 miles171Good 202464Compare
St Luke's CofE First SchoolAcademy0.9 miles138Requires improvement 20241Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Bede's Catholic Middle School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats38%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 64 is 3 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 11 · middle 67 · highest 95100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 64 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 64% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 42 to 79. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.04
Ofsted grade, 3.7 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.18
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.33
2024/25; 659 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What pupils do next0%no data
What parents say0%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 Bede's Catholic Middle School a good school?

It is about average. St Bede's Catholic Middle School scores 64 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 38% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 42 to 79, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is St Bede's Catholic Middle School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Bede's Catholic Middle School good at its last full inspection on 18 January 2023.

How good are St Bede's Catholic Middle School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 63% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Bede's Catholic Middle School have?

646 pupils aged 9 to 13 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 640 places, so it is 101% full.

Is St Bede's Catholic Middle School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 8 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at St Bede's Catholic Middle School?

Pupils were in school 94.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Bede's Catholic Middle School?

The average class had 25.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 40% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Holloway Lane, Redditch, B98 7HA
Telephone
01527 525916
Website
www.st-bedes.worcs.sch.uk
Prijncipal
Mr Lloyd Roberts
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Middle school, ages 9-13
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Birmingham
Multi-academy trust
St Raphael the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust (29 schools)
Local authority
Worcestershire
Ward
Greenlands & Lakeside
Constituency
Redditch
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 July 2014 (academy converter)
URN
141064 · LAESTAB 8855401 · UKPRN 10046464
Formerly
St Bede's Catholic Middle School

Where these figures come from