St Benedict's Catholic School
Beetons Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP32 6RH
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Imogen Senior
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of East Anglia
- Constituency
- Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 852
- Pupils on roll
- 968
- URN
- 149285
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01284753512
About this school
St Benedict's Catholic School is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Bury St Edmunds. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 968 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Benedict'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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 4 June 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 146 | 161 | 159 |
| Attainment 8 score | 53.2 | 51.1 | 49.8 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.50 +0.25 to +0.75 | +0.17 -0.05 to +0.40 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 55% | 55.3% | 49.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 80% | 77% | 71.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 60% | 59% | 54.7% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.6 |
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 Benedict'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 | Suffolk average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 53.2 | 37.4 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 51.1 | 37.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 49.8 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 950 |
| 2023/24 | 976 |
| 2024/25 | 976 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Benedict's Catholic School compares
St Benedict's Catholic School ranked 5th of 43 secondary schools in Suffolk 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 23% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49.8 | 7.2% | 12.7% | 968 | — |
| Bury St Edmunds County High School | 49.8 | 9.5% | 24.6% | 657 | 0.1 miles |
| King Edward VI CEVC School | 45.4 | 9.9% | 20% | 1,189 | 0.5 miles |
| Sybil Andrews Academy | 49.5 | 7.8% | 14.5% | 657 | 2.6 miles |
| Thurston Community College | 46.9 | 7.8% | 18% | 1,512 | 4.6 miles |
| Ixworth High School | 44 | 9.3% | 22.9% | 512 | 6.6 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)
- 12.65%
- English as an additional language
- 24.3%
- Overall absence
- 7.23%
- Persistent absence
- 17.12%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bury St Edmunds County High School0.1 miles
Secondary · Bury St Edmunds
-
King Edward VI CEVC School0.5 miles
Secondary · Bury St Edmunds
-
Sybil Andrews Academy2.6 miles
Secondary · Bury St. Edmunds
-
Thurston Community College4.6 miles
Secondary · Bury St Edmunds
-
Ixworth High School6.6 miles
Secondary · Ixworth
Other schools in Bury St Edmunds
- Bury St Edmunds County High School Secondary
- King Edward VI CEVC School Secondary
- Thurston Community College Secondary
- Abbots Green Primary Academy Primary
- All Saints' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Lawshall Primary
- Bardwell Church of England Primary School Primary
- Barningham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Barrow Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Beck Row Primary Academy Primary
- Cockfield Church of England Primary School Primary
- Elmswell Community Primary School Primary
- Great Barton Church of England Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Benedict's Catholic School teach?
- St Benedict's Catholic School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bury St Edmunds.
- Who is the headteacher of St Benedict's Catholic School?
- The headteacher of St Benedict's Catholic School is Mrs Imogen Senior, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Benedict's Catholic School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Benedict'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 Benedict's Catholic School?
- St Benedict's Catholic School has 968 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St Benedict's Catholic School full?
- St Benedict's Catholic School has capacity for 852 pupils and 968 on roll (114%), 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 Benedict's Catholic School a faith school?
- Yes. St Benedict's Catholic School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of East Anglia.
- Is St Benedict's Catholic School a selective school?
- No. St Benedict's Catholic School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is St Benedict's Catholic School part of an academy trust?
- St Benedict's Catholic School is part of OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Benedict's Catholic School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 53.2 in 2022/23 and 49.8 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 Benedict's Catholic School compare with other schools in Suffolk?
- St Benedict's Catholic School ranked 5th of 43 secondary schools in Suffolk 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 23% 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 Benedict's Catholic School's absence rate?
- St Benedict's Catholic School's overall absence rate is 7.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Benedict's Catholic School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Benedict'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.