Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School
Gibfield Road, Colne, BB8 8JT
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Dugdale
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salford
- Constituency
- Pendle and Clitheroe
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 812
- URN
- 119785
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01282865299
About this school
Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in Colne. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 812 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 151 | 155 | 160 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.7 | 41.6 | 44.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.15 -0.37 to +0.08 | -0.45 -0.67 to -0.22 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 37% | 35.5% | 43.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 54% | 55.5% | 68.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 11% | 7.1% | 19.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
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 Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High 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 | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41.7 | 38.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 41.6 | 37.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 44.1 | 37 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 810 |
| 2023/24 | 806 |
| 2024/25 | 821 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School compares
Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School ranked 42nd of 81 secondary schools in Lancashire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 53% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 7% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44.1 | 10.3% | 32.3% | 812 | — |
| Colne Primet Academy | 35.4 | 13.2% | 37.9% | 805 | 0.2 miles |
| Pendle Vale College | 42.5 | 8.2% | 34.4% | 1,046 | 0.4 miles |
| Colne Park High School | 38 | 10.5% | 31.4% | 989 | 1.8 miles |
| Marsden Heights Community College | 40.3 | 7.9% | 33.5% | 1,047 | 1.9 miles |
| Sir John Thursby Community College | 41 | 8.4% | 39.6% | 1,121 | 3.2 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)
- 32.28%
- English as an additional language
- 17.9%
- Overall absence
- 10.31%
- Persistent absence
- 28.42%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Colne Primet Academy0.2 miles
Secondary · Colne
-
Pendle Vale College0.4 miles
Secondary · Nelson
-
Colne Park High School1.8 miles
Secondary · Colne
-
Marsden Heights Community College1.9 miles
Secondary · Nelson
-
Sir John Thursby Community College3.2 miles
Secondary · Burnley
Other schools in Colne
- Colne Park High School Secondary
- Colne Primet Academy Secondary
- Newtown Nursery School Nursery
- Colne Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Colne Lord Street School Primary
- Colne Primet Primary School Primary
- Foulridge Saint Michael and All Angels CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Laneshaw Bridge Primary Primary
- Park Primary School Primary
- Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Primary
- Trawden Forest Primary School Primary
- West Street Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School teach?
- Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Colne.
- Who is the headteacher of Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School?
- The headteacher of Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School is Mr Paul Dugdale, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High 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 Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School?
- Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School has 812 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School full?
- Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School has capacity for 900 pupils and 812 on roll (90%), so it has space against 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 Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School a faith school?
- Yes. Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Salford.
- Is Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School a selective school?
- No. Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.7 in 2022/23 and 44.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School rank locally?
- Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School ranked 42nd of 81 secondary schools in Lancashire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 53% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 7% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School's absence rate?
- Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School's overall absence rate is 10.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High 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 30 June 2026.