St Bonaventure's RC School
Boleyn Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 9QD
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Boys
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Christopher McCormack
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brentwood
- Constituency
- Stratford and Bow
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,300
- Pupils on roll
- 1,352
- URN
- 102787
- Local authority
- Newham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02084723844
About this school
St Bonaventure's RC School is a Roman Catholic boys' voluntary aided secondary school in London. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,352 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 187 | 193 | 192 |
| Attainment 8 score | 56.7 | 53.4 | 47.3 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.32 +0.12 to +0.53 | +0.17 -0.03 to +0.37 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 69% | 62.2% | 46.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 84% | 77.7% | 63.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 49% | 53.9% | 34.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.0 |
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 St Bonaventure's RC School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Newham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 56.7 | 46.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 53.4 | 46.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 47.3 | 47.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,333 |
| 2023/24 | 1,344 |
| 2024/25 | 1,348 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Bonaventure's RC School compares
St Bonaventure's RC School ranked 15th of 20 secondary schools in Newham for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 67% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47.3 | 5.3% | 41.9% | 1,352 | — |
| Stratford School Academy | 53.9 | 5.2% | 50.3% | 1,477 | 0.2 miles |
| St Angela's Ursuline School | 54.1 | 5.7% | 41.9% | 1,311 | 0.3 miles |
| Lister Community School | 44.1 | 8.2% | 55% | 1,470 | 0.5 miles |
| Forest Gate Community School | 58.1 | 5% | 44.9% | 1,343 | 0.8 miles |
| Sarah Bonnell School | 56.7 | 7.5% | 56.4% | 1,202 | 0.8 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)
- 41.85%
- English as an additional language
- 52.2%
- Overall absence
- 5.33%
- Persistent absence
- 13.66%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Stratford School Academy0.2 miles
Secondary · London
-
St Angela's Ursuline School0.3 miles
Secondary · London
-
Lister Community School0.5 miles
Secondary · London
-
Forest Gate Community School0.8 miles
Secondary · London
-
Sarah Bonnell School0.8 miles
Secondary · London
Other schools in London
St Bonaventure's RC School ranks 165th 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 year groups does St Bonaventure's RC School teach?
- St Bonaventure's RC School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of St Bonaventure's RC School?
- The headteacher of St Bonaventure's RC School is Mr Christopher McCormack, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Bonaventure's RC School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Bonaventure's RC School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Bonaventure's RC School?
- St Bonaventure's RC School has 1,352 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Bonaventure's RC School full?
- St Bonaventure's RC School has capacity for 1,300 pupils and 1,352 on roll (104%), 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 St Bonaventure's RC School a faith school?
- Yes. St Bonaventure's RC School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Brentwood.
- Is St Bonaventure's RC School a selective school?
- No. St Bonaventure's RC School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have St Bonaventure's RC School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 56.7 in 2022/23 and 47.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Bonaventure's RC School rank locally?
- St Bonaventure's RC School ranked 15th of 20 secondary schools in Newham for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 67% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Bonaventure's RC School's absence rate?
- St Bonaventure's RC School's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Bonaventure's RC School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Bonaventure's RC School'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.