Baines SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Baines School and St Mary's Catholic Academy are secondary schools.
Baines School scores 52 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and St Mary's Catholic Academy scores 49 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Baines School is ahead on our composite score.
Baines School was judged the expected standard and St Mary's Catholic Academy was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 47.4 for Baines School and 44.2 for St Mary's Catholic Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Baines School (47.0 in 2021-22, 47.4 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at St Mary's Catholic Academy (44.6 in 2021-22, 44.2 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | Poulton-le-FyldeBaines School | BlackpoolSt Mary's Catholic Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D52/100Stronger figure | D49/100 | |
| Local ranking | 50th of 82 in Lancashire | 2nd of 8 in Blackpool | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Expected | Ofsted: Expected | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 726 | 1,188 | |
| Capacity | 890 | 1,199 | |
| Location | Poulton-le-Fylde, FY6 8BE | Blackpool, FY3 7EQ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 47.4 Stronger figure | 44.2 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 46.7% Stronger figure | 39.4% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 67.9% Stronger figure | 60.6% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 137 | 203 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | Not reported | 62 | |
| A-level average points | Not reported | 31.2 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | Not reported | C | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | Not reported | 35.0 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | Not reported | 19.4% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 747 | 1,184 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 31.6% | 37.1% | |
| English as an additional language | 3.1% | 28.1% | |
| SEN support | 5.0% | 12.0% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.2% | 1.8% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.5% | 7.9% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 28.6% | 22.5% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Baines School
St Mary's Catholic Academy
Full profiles: Baines School · St Mary's Catholic Academy