Balshaw's Church of England High SchoolSt Mary's Catholic High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Leyland.
Summary of the comparison
Balshaw's Church of England High School and St Mary's Catholic High School are secondary schools in Leyland.
Balshaw's Church of England High School scores 66 out of 100 (grade C, average) and St Mary's Catholic High School scores 58 out of 100 (grade C, average). Balshaw's Church of England High School is ahead on our composite score.
Balshaw's Church of England High School was judged Good and St Mary's Catholic High School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 53.0 for Balshaw's Church of England High School and 46.8 for St Mary's Catholic High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at Balshaw's Church of England High School (50.2 in 2021-22, 53.0 in 2025-26) and has risen at St Mary's Catholic High School (44.3 in 2021-22, 46.8 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | LeylandBalshaw's Church of England High School | LeylandSt Mary's Catholic High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C66/100Stronger figure | C58/100 | |
| Local ranking | 17th of 82 in Lancashire Stronger figure | 37th of 82 in Lancashire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Voluntary controlled school | Voluntary aided school | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 921 | 813 | |
| Capacity | 925 | 830 | |
| Location | Leyland, PR25 3AH | Leyland, PR25 1BS | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 53.0 Stronger figure | 46.8 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 51.4% Stronger figure | 46.2% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 76.0% Stronger figure | 75.0% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 179 | 156 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 933 | 817 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 13.6% | 21.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 3.3% | 3.9% | |
| SEN support | 6.8% | 21.2% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.3% | 2.2% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 5.1% Stronger figure | 7.2% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 12.9% Stronger figure | 18.9% | 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.
Balshaw's Church of England High School
St Mary's Catholic High School
Full profiles: Balshaw's Church of England High School · St Mary's Catholic High School