Cardinal Griffin Catholic College
Cardinal Way, Cannock, WS11 4AW
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL CATHOLIC MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Hermione Gibson
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Birmingham
- Sponsor
- St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Cannock Chase
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 998
- Pupils on roll
- 732
- URN
- 149989
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01543502215
About this school
Cardinal Griffin Catholic College is a Roman Catholic secondary academy in Cannock. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 732 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 14 March 2023, 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.
This inspection took place when the school was registered as Cardinal Griffin Catholic College (URN 124468).
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 131 | 135 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.2 | 43.6 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.31 -0.55 to -0.06 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 35.9% | 35.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 59.5% | 56.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 6.1% | 57% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.3 | 3.8 |
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 Griffin 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 | Staffordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 36.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 41.2 | 35 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 43.6 | 36.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 808 |
| 2024/25 | 775 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Cardinal Griffin Catholic College compares
Cardinal Griffin Catholic College ranked 30th of 56 secondary schools in Staffordshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 51% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 43.6 | 8.6% | 29.9% | 732 | — |
| Cannock Chase High School | 42.1 | 9.7% | 35.2% | 1,113 | 0.5 miles |
| Staffordshire University Academy | 32.9 | 7.4% | 44.6% | 709 | 1.3 miles |
| Kingsmead School | 48.5 | 8.5% | 19.2% | 1,427 | 1.8 miles |
| Great Wyrley Academy | 39 | 10.8% | 33% | 606 | 2.2 miles |
| Cheslyn Hay Academy | 42.1 | 7.9% | 20.2% | 1,279 | 2.5 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)
- 29.87%
- English as an additional language
- 5.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.56%
- Persistent absence
- 23.19%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cannock Chase High School0.5 miles
Secondary · Cannock
-
Staffordshire University Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Cannock
-
Kingsmead School1.8 miles
Secondary · Cannock
-
Great Wyrley Academy2.2 miles
Secondary · Walsall
-
Cheslyn Hay Academy2.5 miles
Secondary · Walsall
Other schools in Cannock
Cardinal Griffin Catholic College ranks 2nd of the 5 ranked secondary schools in Cannock.
- Cannock Chase High School Secondary
- Kingsmead School Secondary
- Norton Canes High School Secondary
- Staffordshire University Academy Secondary
- Hednesford Nursery School Nursery
- Bridgtown Primary School Primary
- Chadsmoor CofE (VC) Junior School Primary
- Chadsmoor Community Infants and Nursery School Primary
- Five Ways Primary School Primary
- Gorsemoor Primary School Primary
- Hazel Slade Primary Academy Primary
- Heath Hayes Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Cardinal Griffin Catholic College teach?
- Cardinal Griffin Catholic College teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Cannock.
- Who is the headteacher of Cardinal Griffin Catholic College?
- The headteacher of Cardinal Griffin Catholic College is Mrs Hermione Gibson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Cardinal Griffin Catholic College last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cardinal Griffin 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 Cardinal Griffin Catholic College?
- Cardinal Griffin Catholic College has 732 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Cardinal Griffin Catholic College full?
- Cardinal Griffin Catholic College has capacity for 998 pupils and 732 on roll (73%), so it has space against 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 Griffin Catholic College a faith school?
- Yes. Cardinal Griffin Catholic College is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
- Is Cardinal Griffin Catholic College a selective school?
- No. Cardinal Griffin Catholic College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Cardinal Griffin Catholic College?
- Cardinal Griffin Catholic College is part of ST GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL 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 Cardinal Griffin Catholic College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.2 in 2023/24 and 43.6 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 Griffin Catholic College rank locally?
- Cardinal Griffin Catholic College ranked 30th of 56 secondary schools in Staffordshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 51% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% 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 Griffin Catholic College's absence rate?
- Cardinal Griffin Catholic College's overall absence rate is 8.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Cardinal Griffin Catholic College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Cardinal Griffin 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.