St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy
Newbold Road, Upper Newbold, Chesterfield, S41 8AG
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST MARY'S CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Maria Dengate
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hallam
- Constituency
- Chesterfield
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,260
- Pupils on roll
- 1,400
- URN
- 138470
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01246201191
About this school
St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Chesterfield. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,400 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 | 207 | 204 | 206 |
| Attainment 8 score | 57.3 | 56.6 | 59.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.36 +0.16 to +0.56 | +0.50 +0.30 to +0.70 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 67% | 63.2% | 73.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 83% | 83.8% | 85.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 50% | 40.2% | 52.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.4 |
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 Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Derbyshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57.3 | 41.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 56.6 | 41.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 59.4 | 40.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,353 |
| 2023/24 | 1,347 |
| 2024/25 | 1,358 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy compares
St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy ranked 1st of 45 secondary schools in Derbyshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 93% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 59.4 | 5.9% | 17.4% | 1,400 | — |
| Outwood Academy Newbold | 48.9 | 6.2% | 36.9% | 1,030 | 0.7 miles |
| Brookfield Community School | 50.8 | 8% | 20.8% | 1,156 | 1.6 miles |
| Parkside Community School | 41 | 9.9% | 51.9% | 587 | 1.7 miles |
| Whittington Green School | 40.8 | 7.8% | 45.9% | 682 | 2.0 miles |
| Outwood Academy Hasland Hall | 47.5 | 7% | 33% | 847 | 3.1 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)
- 17.39%
- English as an additional language
- 10.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.87%
- Persistent absence
- 11.52%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Outwood Academy Newbold0.7 miles
Secondary · Chesterfield
-
Brookfield Community School1.6 miles
Secondary · Chesterfield
-
Parkside Community School1.7 miles
Secondary · Chesterfield
-
Whittington Green School2.0 miles
Secondary · Chesterfield
-
Outwood Academy Hasland Hall3.1 miles
Secondary · Chesterfield
Other schools in Chesterfield
St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy ranks 1st of the 11 ranked secondary schools in Chesterfield.
- Brookfield Community School Secondary
- Heritage High School Secondary
- Netherthorpe School Secondary
- Outwood Academy Hasland Hall Secondary
- Outwood Academy Newbold Secondary
- Parkside Community School Secondary
- Springwell Community College Secondary
- The Bolsover School Secondary
- Tupton Hall School Secondary
- Whittington Green School Secondary
- Abercrombie Primary School Primary
- Arkwright Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy teach?
- St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Chesterfield.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- The headteacher of St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy is Mrs Maria Dengate, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy, 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 Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy has 1,400 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy full?
- St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy has capacity for 1,260 pupils and 1,400 on roll (111%), 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 Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hallam.
- Is St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy a selective school?
- No. St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of ST MARY'S CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 57.3 in 2022/23 and 59.4 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 Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy rank locally?
- St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy ranked 1st of 45 secondary schools in Derbyshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 93% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% 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 Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy's absence rate?
- St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy'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.