St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
Wychall Lane, Kings Norton, Birmingham, B38 8AP
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- LUMEN CHRISTI CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY COMPANY
- Headteacher
- Principal Chris Martin
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Birmingham
- Constituency
- Birmingham Northfield
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,239
- Pupils on roll
- 1,193
- URN
- 141835
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01214644643
About this school
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Birmingham. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,193 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 2 May 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 207 | 200 | 190 |
| Attainment 8 score | 48.0 | 52.2 | 49.9 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.17 -0.03 to +0.37 | +0.60 +0.40 to +0.81 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 47% | 55.5% | 49.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 73% | 68.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 40% | 38.5% | 46.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
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 St Thomas Aquinas Catholic 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 | Birmingham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 48 | 40.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 52.2 | 40.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 49.9 | 40.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,168 |
| 2023/24 | 1,172 |
| 2024/25 | 1,190 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School compares
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School ranked 23rd of 85 secondary schools in Birmingham for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 75% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49.9 | 7% | 50.2% | 1,193 | — |
| King Edward VI King's Norton School for Boys | 47.6 | 7.1% | 31.7% | 815 | 0.5 miles |
| Kings Norton Girls' School | 56.6 | 6.5% | 28.7% | 1,076 | 0.9 miles |
| King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls | 46 | 9.2% | 50.5% | 740 | 1.1 miles |
| Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School | 44.6 | 11.5% | 48.9% | 774 | 1.2 miles |
| Turves Green Boys' School | 37.3 | 9.3% | 59.1% | 592 | 1.3 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)
- 50.2%
- English as an additional language
- 17.4%
- Overall absence
- 7%
- Persistent absence
- 21.11%
Location
Nearby schools
-
King Edward VI King's Norton School for Boys0.5 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Kings Norton Girls' School0.9 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls1.1 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School1.2 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Turves Green Boys' School1.3 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
Other schools in Birmingham
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School ranks 18th of the 87 ranked secondary schools in Birmingham.
- Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School Secondary
- Arena Academy Secondary
- Ark Boulton Academy Secondary
- Ark St Alban's Academy Secondary
- Aston Manor Academy Secondary
- Aston University Engineering Academy Secondary
- Bartley Green School Secondary
- Birmingham Ormiston Academy Secondary
- Bishop Challoner Catholic College Secondary
- BOA Digital Technologies Academy Secondary
- Bordesley Green Girls' School & Sixth Form Secondary
- Broadway Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School teach?
- St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Birmingham.
- Who is the headteacher of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
- The headteacher of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is Principal Chris Martin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Thomas Aquinas Catholic 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 St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
- St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School has 1,193 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School full?
- St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School has capacity for 1,239 pupils and 1,193 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. 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 Aquinas Catholic School a faith school?
- Yes. St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
- Is St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School a selective school?
- No. St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School?
- St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School is part of LUMEN CHRISTI CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY COMPANY. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 48 in 2022/23 and 49.9 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 Aquinas Catholic School rank locally?
- St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School ranked 23rd of 85 secondary schools in Birmingham for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 75% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% 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 Aquinas Catholic School's absence rate?
- St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Thomas Aquinas Catholic 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 2 July 2026.