St Paul's Catholic College
Jane Murray Way, Burgess Hill, RH15 8GA
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BOSCO CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Rob Carter
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
- Sponsor
- Bosco Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Mid Sussex
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,050
- Pupils on roll
- 1,160
- URN
- 148753
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01444873898
About this school
St Paul's Catholic College is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Burgess Hill. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,160 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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 | 180 | 178 | 181 |
| Attainment 8 score | 56.1 | 56.8 | 55.5 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.66 +0.45 to +0.88 | +0.53 +0.31 to +0.74 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 57% | 66.3% | 63.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 81% | 85.4% | 87.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 27% | 76.4% | 75.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.9 | 5.3 | 5.1 |
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 Paul's Catholic 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 | West Sussex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 56.1 | 37.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 56.8 | 37.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 55.5 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,128 |
| 2023/24 | 1,168 |
| 2024/25 | 1,190 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Paul's Catholic College compares
St Paul's Catholic College ranked 2nd of 38 secondary schools in West Sussex for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 88% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55.5 | 5.8% | 9.3% | 1,160 | — |
| The Burgess Hill Academy | 44.6 | 10% | 16% | 956 | 1.4 miles |
| Warden Park Secondary Academy | 52.4 | 7.7% | 11.5% | 1,541 | 2.8 miles |
| Downlands Community School | 57.3 | 7.6% | 8.3% | 1,250 | 3.2 miles |
| Oathall Community College | 51.6 | 7.9% | 14.6% | 1,341 | 3.9 miles |
| Chailey School | 49.3 | 6.9% | 13.3% | 862 | 5.9 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)
- 9.3%
- English as an additional language
- 11.2%
- Overall absence
- 5.8%
- Persistent absence
- 12.83%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Burgess Hill Academy1.4 miles
Secondary · Burgess Hill
-
Warden Park Secondary Academy2.8 miles
Secondary · Haywards Heath
-
Downlands Community School3.2 miles
Secondary · Hassocks
-
Oathall Community College3.9 miles
Secondary · Haywards Heath
-
Chailey School5.9 miles
Secondary · Lewes
Other schools in Burgess Hill
- The Burgess Hill Academy Secondary
- Birchwood Grove Community Primary School, Burgess Hill Primary
- London Meed Community Primary School Primary
- Oak Tree Primary School Primary
- Sheddingdean Community Primary School Primary
- Southway Junior School Primary
- St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School Primary
- The Gattons Infant School Primary
- Hambrook School Special schools
- West Sussex Alternative Provision College Local authority maintained schools
- Woodlands Meed Special schools
- Burgess Hill Girls Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does St Paul's Catholic College teach?
- St Paul's Catholic College teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Burgess Hill.
- Who is the headteacher of St Paul's Catholic College?
- The headteacher of St Paul's Catholic College is Mr Rob Carter, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Paul's Catholic College last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Paul's Catholic 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 St Paul's Catholic College?
- St Paul's Catholic College has 1,160 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Paul's Catholic College full?
- St Paul's Catholic College has capacity for 1,050 pupils and 1,160 on roll (110%), 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 Paul's Catholic College a faith school?
- Yes. St Paul's Catholic College is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.
- Is St Paul's Catholic College a selective school?
- No. St Paul's Catholic College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs St Paul's Catholic College?
- St Paul's Catholic College is part of BOSCO 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 Paul's Catholic College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 56.1 in 2022/23 and 55.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Paul's Catholic College rank locally?
- St Paul's Catholic College ranked 2nd of 38 secondary schools in West Sussex for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 88% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% 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 Paul's Catholic College's absence rate?
- St Paul's Catholic College's overall absence rate is 5.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Paul's Catholic College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Paul's Catholic 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 10 July 2026.