St Thomas More Catholic High School
Lynn Road, North Shields, NE29 8LF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr David Watson
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Sponsor
- Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Tynemouth
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,650
- Pupils on roll
- 1,660
- URN
- 137734
- Local authority
- North Tyneside
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01912588340
About this school
St Thomas More Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in North Shields. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,660 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Thomas More Catholic High School, 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
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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 258 | 259 | 254 |
| Attainment 8 score | 50.1 | 49.2 | 49.6 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.06 -0.12 to +0.23 | +0.21 +0.04 to +0.39 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 52% | 43.6% | 46.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 74% | 65.6% | 68.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 62% | 52.1% | 46.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
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 Thomas More 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 | North Tyneside average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 50.1 | 38.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 49.2 | 35.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 49.6 | 36.8 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,609 |
| 2023/24 | 1,619 |
| 2024/25 | 1,622 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Thomas More Catholic High School compares
St Thomas More Catholic High School ranked 4th of 12 secondary schools in North Tyneside for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 74% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49.6 | 8.8% | 24.8% | 1,660 | — |
| Norham High School | 42.7 | 8% | 63.2% | 498 | 0.9 miles |
| John Spence Community High School | 41 | 9.5% | 49.1% | 872 | 1.0 miles |
| Monkseaton High School | 41 | 12.7% | 31.1% | 155 | 1.0 miles |
| Marden High School | 55.1 | 5.5% | 16.4% | 1,014 | 1.5 miles |
| Whitley Bay High School | 54.2 | 6.7% | 9.7% | 1,797 | 2.1 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)
- 24.83%
- English as an additional language
- 8.3%
- Overall absence
- 8.81%
- Persistent absence
- 22.46%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Norham High School0.9 miles
Secondary · North Shields
-
John Spence Community High School1.0 miles
Secondary · North Shields
-
Monkseaton High School1.0 miles
Secondary · Whitley Bay
-
Marden High School1.5 miles
Secondary · North Shields
-
Whitley Bay High School2.1 miles
Secondary · Whitley Bay
Other schools in North Shields
St Thomas More Catholic High School ranks 3rd of the 5 ranked secondary schools in North Shields.
- John Spence Community High School Secondary
- Marden High School Secondary
- Norham High School Secondary
- Sir James Knott Memorial Nursery School Nursery
- Christ Church CofE Primary School Primary
- Collingwood Primary School Primary
- Cullercoats Primary School Primary
- Monkhouse Primary School Primary
- New York Primary School Primary
- Percy Main Primary School Primary
- Preston Grange Primary School Primary
- Riverside Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Thomas More Catholic High School teach?
- St Thomas More Catholic High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in North Shields.
- Who is the headteacher of St Thomas More Catholic High School?
- The headteacher of St Thomas More Catholic High School is Mr David Watson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Thomas More Catholic High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Thomas More 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 many pupils are at St Thomas More Catholic High School?
- St Thomas More Catholic High School has 1,660 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Thomas More Catholic High School full?
- St Thomas More Catholic High School has capacity for 1,650 pupils and 1,660 on roll (101%), 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 Thomas More Catholic High School a faith school?
- Yes. St Thomas More Catholic High School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Is St Thomas More Catholic High School a selective school?
- No. St Thomas More Catholic High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is St Thomas More Catholic High School part of an academy trust?
- St Thomas More Catholic High School is part of BISHOP BEWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Thomas More Catholic High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 50.1 in 2022/23 and 49.6 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 Thomas More Catholic High School compare with other schools in North Tyneside?
- St Thomas More Catholic High School ranked 4th of 12 secondary schools in North Tyneside for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 74% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% 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 Thomas More Catholic High School's absence rate?
- St Thomas More Catholic High School's overall absence rate is 8.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Thomas More Catholic High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Thomas More 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 1 July 2026.