The McAuley Catholic High School
Cantley Lane, Doncaster, DN3 3QF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mr James Tucker
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hallam
- Constituency
- Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,730
- Pupils on roll
- 1,431
- URN
- 140865
- Local authority
- Doncaster
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01302537396
About this school
The McAuley Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Doncaster. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,431 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The McAuley 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 | 269 | 230 | 231 |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.9 | 45.6 | 42.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.03 -0.20 to +0.15 | -0.06 -0.25 to +0.13 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 40% | 39.6% | 34.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 66% | 63.9% | 55.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 16% | 9.1% | 7.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.3 |
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 The McAuley 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 | Doncaster average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44.9 | 42 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 45.6 | 39.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 42.5 | 40.8 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,422 |
| 2023/24 | 1,433 |
| 2024/25 | 1,445 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The McAuley Catholic High School compares
The McAuley Catholic High School ranked 14th of 20 secondary schools in Doncaster for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 47% 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 | 42.5 | 8.9% | 29.8% | 1,431 | — |
| The Hayfield School | 52.6 | 6.3% | 14.3% | 1,088 | 1.8 miles |
| Outwood Academy Danum | 42.8 | 9.9% | 41% | 1,083 | 2.0 miles |
| Armthorpe Academy | 39.5 | 6.5% | 28.8% | 695 | 2.2 miles |
| XP East | 36.9 | 7.9% | 25.6% | 273 | 2.4 miles |
| XP School | 39.8 | 7.8% | 29.3% | 246 | 2.5 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)
- 29.79%
- English as an additional language
- 19.3%
- Overall absence
- 8.94%
- Persistent absence
- 28.63%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Hayfield School1.8 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
-
Outwood Academy Danum2.0 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
-
Armthorpe Academy2.2 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
-
XP East2.4 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
-
XP School2.5 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
Other schools in Doncaster
The McAuley Catholic High School ranks 14th of the 20 ranked secondary schools in Doncaster.
- Armthorpe Academy Secondary
- Ash Hill Academy Secondary
- Astrea Academy Woodfields Secondary
- Campsmount Academy Secondary
- De Warenne Academy Secondary
- Don Valley Academy Secondary
- Doncaster UTC Secondary
- Hall Cross Academy Secondary
- Hungerhill School Secondary
- Outwood Academy Adwick Secondary
- Outwood Academy Danum Secondary
- Ridgewood School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does The McAuley Catholic High School teach?
- The McAuley Catholic High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Doncaster.
- Who is the headteacher of The McAuley Catholic High School?
- The headteacher of The McAuley Catholic High School is Mr James Tucker, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The McAuley Catholic High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The McAuley 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 The McAuley Catholic High School?
- The McAuley Catholic High School has 1,431 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The McAuley Catholic High School full?
- The McAuley Catholic High School has capacity for 1,730 pupils and 1,431 on roll (83%), 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 The McAuley Catholic High School a faith school?
- Yes. The McAuley Catholic High School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hallam.
- Is The McAuley Catholic High School a selective school?
- No. The McAuley Catholic High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is The McAuley Catholic High School part of an academy trust?
- The McAuley Catholic High School is part of THE MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The McAuley Catholic High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 44.9 in 2022/23 and 42.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The McAuley Catholic High School compare with other schools in Doncaster?
- The McAuley Catholic High School ranked 14th of 20 secondary schools in Doncaster for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 47% 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 The McAuley Catholic High School's absence rate?
- The McAuley Catholic High School's overall absence rate is 8.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The McAuley Catholic High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The McAuley 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.