Best Catholic secondary schools in London

I went to SHHS and the girls who left in the sixth form for the Vaughan or the Oratory did so for two reasons - 1) they saw it as a great achievement to be accepted into one of these schools and 2) they wanted to be with the boys (many from their primary schools).

I did so myself so no judgement from me.

Bishop Douglass has a wide catchment area and admits other faiths and children based on geographical distance each year.

Mixed Catholic Comprehensive in Finchley might be Bishop Douglass? I have two children there. I’d recommend it - many excellent and very committed teachers. It is more traditional and strict than some other schools locally, and I think this works well for them.

the two catholic schools I know have feeder schools from the local parishes. They are oversubscribed just from their local area with students who meet the Catholic requirements, so you would struggle to get a place if not in their area.

@Lazytiger what's the name of the mixed catholic comprehensive in Finchley please? I'm not aware of it. Unless you mean Finchley catholic high, which is a fantastic boys only comp, until 6th form when they admit girls

SRRCC has a really complex catchment. Worth studying carefully if that's what you are aiming for!

Also SRRCC has a catchment based on parishes it serves, not distance from The school. It’s not as simple as it may sound.

Pretty sure the can’t be true of the London Oratory or Cardinal Vaughan … I know children who travel a long way to get their because their catchment is huge.

They leave because they want a change, they go because going to the London Oratory is very prestigious, they go because they have a passion for music or classics and they go because it has a lot of extra curricular opportunities there. More stay than go though and SHHS offers BTECs and other subjects that are less academic. That isn't a bad thing - being accessible to more than just the very brightest.

What you describe sounds familiar for all schools. Many lessons are covers with worksheets.

Sorry but I simply don't accept that most girls studying 9 GCSEs were being tutored in 'every subject'. Tutors are not cheap and that would be 9 hours a week at an average of £60 a session.

Revision offered by a teacher on a Saturday is not the same as private tutoring. That is a good thing, isn't it?

Your experience is of course your experience but the girls I know from SHHS do not support this view and did not have the financial means to have a private tutor while studying there.

Cardinal Hume Academies Trust has 3 mixed secondary schools - 2 OFSTED outstanding, one good. High value-added scores (top 6% in the country) in spite of high proportion of students on pupil premium and high proportion of children doing EBacc.

Why do you think the clever ones leave then if they’ve done so well at gcse without tutoring? If their success was because of the great teaching surely they’d stay? My experience of two top set daughters was that most of their friends were tutored, many for every subject at gcse. They give the better teachers to the lower sets and the top ones are left, often with a cover supervisor for science, to get on with worksheets. Homework is rarely marked.

No it doesn’t speak volumes - they get very good GCSE results, the clever girls are there at this time and there is no way those results can be down to tutoring as half the school would be at it and they simply aren’t.

Notre Dame Southwark

Judging by the kids who get in the bus there (I used to finish early to pick up DD and my bus went past it) I wouldn’t send my DD there. Boisterous would be the polite word. And I don’t think it’s particularly diverse.

Yes as I said many use private tutors for GCSE and you’re right most of the clever ones go elsewhere for 6th form. Speaks volumes.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Sacred Heart in Southwark?

Do she need to go to a Catholic school? Would another Christian faith school work? (I’m Catholic but went to a C of E school). I wouldn’t send her halfway across town just for that.

i went through this thread to see if my old school was mentioned. It wasn’t! It was Convent of Jesus and Mary, now St Claudines, in Harlesden. I wouldn’t recommend it but hey it’s been 40 years since I left!

sorry sixth form only

but yes Catholic schools usually have huge catchment areas

The London Oratory School

I'd have thought the VAT on privates would have made it harder but it seems not.

Rolls have fallen in many areas of London.

It still is a high performing school. It doesn't do as well at A level (because all the clever girls bugger off to the London Oratory or Cardinal Vaughan) but it certainly does well at GCSE, with over 49% at grade 7-9.

The Times Parent Power (2025) rates it at 159 place in England for GCSEs (Vaughan at 117). It is higher than St Marks, Ursuline, Twyford CofE, Richard Reynolds and even highly sought after non-London schools like Balcarras in Cheltenham. Which are all still excellent school and get great results.

Primary catchment can be quite small but secondary catchment can be quite big. 3 Years ago a CCP wouldn't guarantee you entry but for a lot of these schools it now does.
I mentioned the Cardinal Wiseman and All Saints as they have accepted non Catholics or at least Baptised Catholics without a CCP, so having a CCP pretty much guarantees you entry from anywhere.
London Oratory, Cardinal Vaughan, Sacred Heart etc have huge catchment areas and are oversubscribed but at my primary everyone in current year 6 got their first choice this year, including these 3 schools (unheard of in previous years). I'd have thought the VAT on privates would have made it harder but it seems not. I was surprise only half the year choose these 3 schools though.

Christ on a bike, FSM is a poverty indicator not an academic critique. I chair an inner City Primary where our FSM hovers around 40%, we are an outstanding school and most definitely not a shithole. Just because our parents are poor, it does not mean that they, or their children lack aspiration or ability.