St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy
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St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy is a converter academy in Liverpool for boys aged 11 to 18. It has 939 pupils and room for 1,302. About 32 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 2 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2021.
Woolton Hill Road, Woolton, Liverpool, L25 6EG0151 288 1000sfx1842.orgMr David Hayes headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 12 October 2021, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
177 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† | Liverpool | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 177 | 205 | 183 | 178 | 182 | 176 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 36.7 | 40.1 | 37.9 | 44.7 | 41.8 | 38.7 | 43.1 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.61 | -0.78 | -0.43 | -0.48 | -0.75 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 32% | 36% | 29% | 44% | 33% | 24% | 39% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 55% | 61% | 52% | 72% | 57% | 49% | 59% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.37 | 3.56 | 3.46 | 4.07 | 3.53 | 3.45 | 3.74 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 45% | 36% | 52% | 66% | 9% | 31% | 38% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 32.9 | 26.0 | 24.8 | 39.5 | 34.6 | 26.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 38.3 | 44.6 | 42.8 | 46.0 | 44.5 | 41.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 24.5 | 22.3 | 29.9 | 18.2 | 16.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 57.1 | 58.9 | 58.9 | 55.0 | 52.0 | – | – |
† These results are for St Francis Xavier's College, the school this one replaced in April 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 17 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.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Design & Technology (8% here, 50% across England), Religious Studies (21% here, 60% across England), English Literature (34% here, 58% across England), Business (27% here, 51% 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 | 175 | 8% | 45% | 67% | 53% | 2,116 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 175 | 6% | 35% | 60% | 54% | 2,842 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 173 | 5% | 34% | 54% | 58% | 2,962 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 171 | 6% | 21% | 36% | 60% | 1,804 of 1,825 |
| Combined Science | 146 | 0% | 15% | 40% | 36% | 2,841 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 102 | 6% | 36% | 61% | 51% | 2,322 of 3,116 |
| Spanish | 82 | 13% | 44% | 61% | 54% | 1,359 of 1,941 |
| History | 78 | 6% | 41% | 56% | 52% | 2,189 of 3,126 |
| Business | 74 | 1% | 27% | 37% | 51% | 1,554 of 1,806 |
| Design & Technology | 49 | 0% | 8% | 33% | 50% | 1,439 of 1,478 |
| Chemistry | 28 | 11% | 82% | 100% | 81% | 1,489 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 28 | 7% | 71% | 100% | 82% | 1,956 of 2,570 |
| Physics | 28 | 7% | 86% | 100% | 82% | 1,358 of 2,546 |
| Computer Science | 19 | 5% | 42% | 58% | 56% | – |
| Art and Design | 13 | 31% | 54% | 77% | 58% | – |
| Music | 7 | 29% | 71% | 86% | 61% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 6 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
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.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
37 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Students | 37 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 32.80 |
| Average A level grade | C+ |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 34.71 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 12% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.34 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 30.29 |
| T levels: points per entry | 32.92 |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 100% |
A level subjects
7 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Strongest A levels
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
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 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
Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
302 places were empty (23% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
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 Liverpool 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 (66), Specific learning difficulty (43), language and communications needs (42), Autistic spectrum disorder (41), Moderate learning difficulty (23), Other difficulty or disability (6).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 939 | 1,024 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 31% | 26% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 13% | 10% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 21% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 88.9% 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 | 11.1% | 11.6% | 9.5% | 9.3% | 6.8% | 5.6% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.1% | 4.8% | 4.8% | 5.8% | 4.9% | 3.5% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 7.0% | 6.8% | 4.8% | 3.5% | 2.0% | 2.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 31.7% | 32.6% | 27.5% | 29.0% | 20.2% | 12.2% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 52.2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 15 | 12 | – | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for St Francis Xavier's College, the school this one replaced in April 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calderstones School | Council | 0.8 miles | 1,592 | Good 2023 | 46 | Compare |
| St Julie's Catholic High School | Roman Catholic | 0.9 miles | 1,018 | Good 2023 | 42 | Compare |
| Gateacre School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 1,196 | Requires improvement 2023 | 1 | Compare |
| King David High School | Jewish | 1.2 miles | 744 | Good 2022 | 77 | Compare |
| Childwall Sports & Science Academy | Academy | 1.4 miles | 1,049 | Good 2022 | 12 | Compare |
| The Blue Coat School | Academy (grammar) | 1.6 miles | 1,232 | Good 2022 | 97 | Compare |
| Liverpool College | Academy | 1.8 miles | 1,685 | Outstanding 2019 | 87 | Compare |
| The Academy of St Nicholas | Academy | 2.0 miles | 841 | Good 2022 | 4 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares St Francis Xavier's Catholic 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.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Margaret's Church of England Academy | Academy | 2.2 miles | 1,000 | Good 2024 | 53 | Compare |
| West Derby School | Academy | 3.5 miles | 1,011 | Good 2023 | 31 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 2 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 2% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 1 to 3. 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% | below | -0.15 | 2025 results; 177 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 15% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | well below | -0.41 | Ofsted grade, 4.9 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well below | -0.60 | Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 177 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.12 | 2024/25; 957 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well below | -0.30 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 177 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| 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 Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy a good school?
The figures are weak. St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy scores 2 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 1 to 3, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy requires improvement at its last full inspection on 12 October 2021. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 32% 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 36.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy have?
939 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,302 places, so it is 72% full. It is a boys' school.
Is St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 302 places were empty in 2024/25 (23% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy?
Pupils were in school 88.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 32% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy?
The average class had 22.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 17% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does St Francis Xavier's Catholic Academy have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was C+. 7 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Woolton Hill Road, Woolton, Liverpool, L25 6EG
- Telephone
- 0151 288 1000
- Website
- www.sfx1842.org
- Headteacher
- Mr David Hayes
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Multi-academy trust
- St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust (11 schools)
- Local authority
- Liverpool
- Ward
- Woolton Village
- Constituency
- Liverpool Garston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2024 (fresh start)
- URN
- 150713 · LAESTAB 3414017 · UKPRN 10095248
- Formerly
- St Francis Xavier's College
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.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 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.