Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College
Warden Hill Road, Luton, LU2 7AE
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST THOMAS CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Helen Fay
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Northampton
- SEN provision
- VI - Visual Impairment, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Luton North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,400
- Pupils on roll
- 1,655
- URN
- 142310
- Local authority
- Luton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01582597125
About this school
Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Luton. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,655 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 22 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 | 269 | 265 | 276 |
| Attainment 8 score | 49.5 | 48.5 | 50.0 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.29 +0.11 to +0.46 | +0.38 +0.20 to +0.55 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 48% | 47.2% | 46.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 69.4% | 69.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 88% | 92.5% | 82.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.7 | 4.6 | 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 Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Luton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 49.5 | 41.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 48.5 | 42.9 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 50 | 43.3 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,649 |
| 2023/24 | 1,623 |
| 2024/25 | 1,641 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College compares
Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College ranked 3rd of 13 secondary schools in Luton for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 76% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 30% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50 | 6.6% | 18.8% | 1,655 | — |
| Icknield High School | 49.4 | 7.6% | 26.3% | 1,452 | 1.0 miles |
| Lea Manor High School | 36.3 | 9.5% | 43.7% | 916 | 1.2 miles |
| Stopsley High School | 42.3 | 8% | 31% | 1,046 | 1.6 miles |
| Lealands High School | 44.3 | 6.8% | 35% | 1,025 | 2.0 miles |
| Denbigh High School | 52.6 | 5.9% | 31.3% | 1,130 | 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)
- 18.8%
- English as an additional language
- 30.5%
- Overall absence
- 6.55%
- Persistent absence
- 16.95%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Icknield High School1.0 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Lea Manor High School1.2 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Stopsley High School1.6 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Lealands High School2.0 miles
Secondary · Luton
-
Denbigh High School2.1 miles
Secondary · Luton
Other schools in Luton
Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College ranks 3rd of the 14 ranked secondary schools in Luton.
- Challney High School for Boys Secondary
- Challney High School for Girls Secondary
- Chiltern Academy Secondary
- Denbigh High School Secondary
- Icknield High School Secondary
- Lea Manor High School Secondary
- Lealands High School Secondary
- Manshead Church of England Academy Secondary
- Putteridge High School Secondary
- Queen Elizabeth School Secondary
- Stopsley High School Secondary
- The Chalk Hills Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College teach?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Luton.
- Who is the headteacher of Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College?
- The headteacher of Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College is Helen Fay, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College, 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 Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College has 1,655 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College full?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College has capacity for 1,400 pupils and 1,655 on roll (118%), 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 Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College a faith school?
- Yes. Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Northampton.
- Is Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College a selective school?
- No. Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College is part of ST THOMAS CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College have?
- The schools register lists Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College's special educational needs provision as: VI - Visual Impairment; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 49.5 in 2022/23 and 50 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College rank locally?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College ranked 3rd of 13 secondary schools in Luton for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 76% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 30% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College's absence rate?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College's overall absence rate is 6.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College'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.