St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon
Croftdale Road, Blaydon-on-Tyne, NE21 4BQ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jillian Turner
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Sponsor
- Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Blaydon and Consett
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,509
- Pupils on roll
- 1,401
- URN
- 137851
- Local authority
- Gateshead
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01914990111
About this school
St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Blaydon-on-Tyne. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,401 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
- 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 | 246 | 238 | 230 |
| Attainment 8 score | 53.8 | 51.6 | 51.9 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.17 -0.01 to +0.35 | +0.05 -0.13 to +0.24 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 60% | 57.1% | 60.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 77.3% | 78.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 10% | 72.7% | 63.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
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 St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Gateshead average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 53.8 | 35.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 51.6 | 39.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 51.9 | 36.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,467 |
| 2023/24 | 1,449 |
| 2024/25 | 1,400 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon compares
St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon ranked 3rd of 8 secondary schools in Gateshead for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 81% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51.9 | 5.2% | 18.7% | 1,401 | — |
| Whickham School | 53 | 8.1% | 22.6% | 1,690 | 2.1 miles |
| Thorp Academy | 47.2 | 10.3% | 25.7% | 1,442 | 2.2 miles |
| St Cuthbert's High School | 49 | 8.1% | 40.3% | 1,224 | 2.2 miles |
| Studio West | 30.9 | 13% | 63.2% | 496 | 2.5 miles |
| Walbottle Academy | 46.6 | 12.3% | 48.5% | 1,722 | 2.6 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)
- 18.72%
- English as an additional language
- 8.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.18%
- Persistent absence
- 13.43%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Whickham School2.1 miles
Secondary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Thorp Academy2.2 miles
Secondary · Ryton
-
St Cuthbert's High School2.2 miles
Secondary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Studio West2.5 miles
Secondary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
-
Walbottle Academy2.6 miles
Secondary · Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Other schools in Blaydon-on-Tyne
Common questions
- What year groups does St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon teach?
- St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Blaydon-on-Tyne.
- Who is the headteacher of St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon?
- The headteacher of St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon is Mrs Jillian Turner, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon, 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 Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon?
- St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon has 1,401 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon full?
- St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon has capacity for 1,509 pupils and 1,401 on roll (93%), 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 St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon a faith school?
- Yes. St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Is St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon a selective school?
- No. St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon?
- St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon is part of BISHOP WILKINSON 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 School, Blaydon's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 53.8 in 2022/23 and 51.9 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 School, Blaydon rank locally?
- St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon ranked 3rd of 8 secondary schools in Gateshead for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 81% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% 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 School, Blaydon's absence rate?
- St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon'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.