Cardinal Newman Catholic School
Sandpits Lane, Keresley, Coventry, CV6 2FR
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY COMPANY
- Headteacher
- Ms Emma O'Connor
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Birmingham
- Constituency
- Coventry North West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,499
- Pupils on roll
- 1,435
- URN
- 147346
- Local authority
- Coventry
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02476332382
About this school
Cardinal Newman Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Coventry. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,435 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Cardinal Newman Catholic 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 28 February 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good and saw signs of improvement; a full inspection will follow. 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 | 224 | 249 | 239 |
| Attainment 8 score | 52.4 | 49.9 | 49.6 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.51 +0.32 to +0.70 | +0.26 +0.08 to +0.44 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 59% | 56.2% | 52.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 73% | 73.9% | 70.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 37% | 24.5% | 17.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
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 has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Coventry average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52.4 | 36.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 49.9 | 36.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 49.6 | 36.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,424 |
| 2023/24 | 1,481 |
| 2024/25 | 1,448 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Cardinal Newman Catholic School compares
Cardinal Newman Catholic School ranked 5th of 22 secondary schools in Coventry for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 74% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49.6 | 9.1% | 29.4% | 1,435 | — |
| President Kennedy School Academy | 43.2 | 8.7% | 35.2% | 1,799 | 0.9 miles |
| Coundon Court | 45 | 9.5% | 25.1% | 1,873 | 0.9 miles |
| Ash Green School | 40.7 | 9.7% | 34.8% | 816 | 1.8 miles |
| Barr's Hill School | 46.7 | 8.7% | 43.5% | 1,063 | 2.1 miles |
| Eden Girls' School, Coventry | 62.6 | 3.8% | 38.2% | 600 | 2.3 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)
- 29.42%
- English as an additional language
- 31.5%
- Overall absence
- 9.08%
- Persistent absence
- 26.27%
Location
Nearby schools
-
President Kennedy School Academy0.9 miles
Secondary · Coventry
-
Coundon Court0.9 miles
Secondary · Coventry
-
Ash Green School1.8 miles
Secondary · Coventry
-
Barr's Hill School2.1 miles
Secondary · Coventry
-
Eden Girls' School, Coventry2.3 miles
Secondary · Coventry
Other schools in Coventry
Cardinal Newman Catholic School ranks 5th of the 24 ranked secondary schools in Coventry.
- Ash Green School Secondary
- Barr's Hill School Secondary
- Bishop Ullathorne Catholic School Secondary
- Blue Coat Church of England School and Music College Secondary
- Caludon Castle School Secondary
- Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School Secondary
- Coundon Court Secondary
- Eden Girls' School, Coventry Secondary
- Ernesford Grange Community Academy Secondary
- Finham Park 2 Secondary
- Finham Park School Secondary
- Foxford Community School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Cardinal Newman Catholic School teach?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Coventry.
- Who is the headteacher of Cardinal Newman Catholic School?
- The headteacher of Cardinal Newman Catholic School is Ms Emma O'Connor, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Cardinal Newman Catholic School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cardinal Newman 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 many pupils are at Cardinal Newman Catholic School?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School has 1,435 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Cardinal Newman Catholic School full?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School has capacity for 1,499 pupils and 1,435 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 Cardinal Newman Catholic School a faith school?
- Yes. Cardinal Newman Catholic School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
- Is Cardinal Newman Catholic School a selective school?
- No. Cardinal Newman Catholic School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Cardinal Newman Catholic School part of an academy trust?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School is part of HOLY CROSS 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 Cardinal Newman Catholic School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 52.4 in 2022/23 and 49.6 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 compare with other schools in Coventry?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School ranked 5th of 22 secondary schools in Coventry for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 74% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% 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's absence rate?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic School's overall absence rate is 9.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Cardinal Newman Catholic School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Cardinal Newman 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 10 July 2026.