The St Thomas the Apostle College
Hollydale Road, Nunhead, London, SE15 2EB
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Eamon Connolly
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Southwark
- Constituency
- Peckham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,000
- Pupils on roll
- 1,140
- URN
- 100857
- Local authority
- Southwark
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02076390106
About this school
The St Thomas the Apostle College is a Roman Catholic boys' voluntary aided secondary school in London. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,140 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The St Thomas the Apostle College, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 6 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 155 | 161 | 161 |
| Attainment 8 score | 63.7 | 60.5 | 61.7 |
| Progress 8 score | +1.24 +1.02 to +1.47 | +1.45 +1.23 to +1.68 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 78% | 72% | 72% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 90% | 85.7% | 86.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 68% | 65.8% | 69.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.7 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The St Thomas the Apostle College has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Southwark average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63.7 | 48.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 60.5 | 45.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 61.7 | 44 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,083 |
| 2023/24 | 1,101 |
| 2024/25 | 1,111 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The St Thomas the Apostle College compares
The St Thomas the Apostle College ranked 2nd of 20 secondary schools in Southwark for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 94% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 61.7 | 5% | 47.2% | 1,140 | — |
| Haberdashers' Hatcham College | 50.5 | 6.8% | 32.2% | 1,375 | 0.6 miles |
| Harris Academy Peckham | 39.3 | 7.8% | 60.9% | 458 | 0.8 miles |
| Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich | 54.3 | 7.8% | 49.3% | 809 | 0.9 miles |
| Deptford Green School | 47.7 | 7.3% | 46.5% | 888 | 1.0 miles |
| Harris Boys' Academy East Dulwich | 55.5 | 5.4% | 40.2% | 912 | 1.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 47.15%
- English as an additional language
- 32.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.01%
- Persistent absence
- 12.35%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Haberdashers' Hatcham College0.6 miles
Secondary · London
-
Harris Academy Peckham0.8 miles
Secondary · London
-
Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich0.9 miles
Secondary · London
-
Deptford Green School1.0 miles
Secondary · London
-
Harris Boys' Academy East Dulwich1.0 miles
Secondary · London
Other schools in London
The St Thomas the Apostle College ranks 26th of the 258 ranked secondary schools in London.
- Acland Burghley School Secondary
- Ada Lovelace Church of England High School Secondary
- Addey and Stanhope School Secondary
- AIM Academy North London Secondary
- Alexandra Park School Secondary
- All Saints Catholic College Secondary
- All Saints Catholic High School Secondary
- Ark Acton Academy Secondary
- Ark All Saints Academy Secondary
- Ark Bolingbroke Academy Secondary
- Ark Burlington Danes Academy Secondary
- Ark Elvin Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does The St Thomas the Apostle College teach?
- The St Thomas the Apostle College teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of The St Thomas the Apostle College?
- The headteacher of The St Thomas the Apostle College is Mr Eamon Connolly, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The St Thomas the Apostle College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The St Thomas the Apostle College, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The St Thomas the Apostle College?
- The St Thomas the Apostle College has 1,140 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The St Thomas the Apostle College full?
- The St Thomas the Apostle College has capacity for 1,000 pupils and 1,140 on roll (114%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The St Thomas the Apostle College a faith school?
- Yes. The St Thomas the Apostle College is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
- Is The St Thomas the Apostle College a selective school?
- No. The St Thomas the Apostle College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have The St Thomas the Apostle College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 63.7 in 2022/23 and 61.7 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The St Thomas the Apostle College compare with other schools in Southwark?
- The St Thomas the Apostle College ranked 2nd of 20 secondary schools in Southwark for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 94% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The St Thomas the Apostle College's absence rate?
- The St Thomas the Apostle College's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The St Thomas the Apostle College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The St Thomas the Apostle College's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.