St Peter's Catholic School
Horseshoe Lane East, Merrow, Guildford, GU1 2TN
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- XAVIER CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Toby Miller
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
- Sponsor
- Xavier Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Guildford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,050
- Pupils on roll
- 1,360
- URN
- 147430
- Local authority
- Surrey
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01483534654
About this school
St Peter's Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Guildford. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,360 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Peter's 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
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 | 208 | 209 | 212 |
| Attainment 8 score | 66.6 | 63.6 | 63.6 |
| Progress 8 score | +1.45 +1.25 to +1.65 | +1.13 +0.93 to +1.32 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 77% | 75.1% | 76.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 88% | 89% | 92.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 38% | 34.4% | 29.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.5 |
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 Peter's 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 | Surrey average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 66.6 | 38.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 63.6 | 39.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 63.6 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,329 |
| 2023/24 | 1,349 |
| 2024/25 | 1,347 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Peter's Catholic School compares
St Peter's Catholic School ranked 3rd of 54 secondary schools in Surrey for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 95% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63.6 | 4.6% | 6.6% | 1,360 | — |
| George Abbot School | 58.2 | 6.9% | 10.4% | 1,927 | 0.7 miles |
| Christ's College, Guildford | 42.5 | 9.2% | 25% | 641 | 2.0 miles |
| Guildford County School | 54.8 | 6.9% | 8.9% | 1,170 | 2.3 miles |
| Kings College Guildford | 44.4 | 9.7% | 28.3% | 593 | 3.0 miles |
| Hoe Valley School | 46.9 | 8.4% | 24.9% | 892 | 3.9 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)
- 6.56%
- English as an additional language
- 9.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.64%
- Persistent absence
- 9.59%
Location
Nearby schools
-
George Abbot School0.7 miles
Secondary · Guildford
-
Christ's College, Guildford2.0 miles
Secondary · Guildford
-
Guildford County School2.3 miles
Secondary · Guildford
-
Kings College Guildford3.0 miles
Secondary · Guildford
-
Hoe Valley School3.9 miles
Secondary · Woking
Other schools in Guildford
St Peter's Catholic School ranks 1st of the 5 ranked secondary schools in Guildford.
- Christ's College, Guildford Secondary
- George Abbot School Secondary
- Guildford County School Secondary
- Kings College Guildford Secondary
- Guildford Nursery School Nursery
- Boxgrove Primary School Primary
- Bramley CofE Infant School and Nursery Primary
- Burpham Primary School Primary
- Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School Primary
- Clandon CofE Aided Primary School Primary
- Cranleigh Church of England Primary School Primary
- Guildford Grove Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Peter's Catholic School teach?
- St Peter's Catholic School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Guildford.
- Who is the headteacher of St Peter's Catholic School?
- The headteacher of St Peter's Catholic School is Mr Toby Miller, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Peter's Catholic School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Peter's 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 St Peter's Catholic School?
- St Peter's Catholic School has 1,360 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Peter's Catholic School full?
- St Peter's Catholic School has capacity for 1,050 pupils and 1,360 on roll (130%), 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 Peter's Catholic School a faith school?
- Yes. St Peter's Catholic School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.
- Is St Peter's Catholic School a selective school?
- No. St Peter's Catholic School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is St Peter's Catholic School part of an academy trust?
- St Peter's Catholic School is part of XAVIER CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Peter's Catholic School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 66.6 in 2022/23 and 63.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Peter's Catholic School compare with other schools in Surrey?
- St Peter's Catholic School ranked 3rd of 54 secondary schools in Surrey for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 95% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% 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 Peter's Catholic School's absence rate?
- St Peter's Catholic School's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Peter's Catholic School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Peter's 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.