Blackpool Aspire AcademySt Mary's Catholic Academy

Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Blackpool.

Summary of the comparison

Blackpool Aspire Academy and St Mary's Catholic Academy are secondary schools in Blackpool.

  • Blackpool Aspire Academy scores 30 out of 100 (grade F, weak) and St Mary's Catholic Academy scores 50 out of 100 (grade D, below average). St Mary's Catholic Academy is ahead on our composite score.

  • Blackpool Aspire Academy was judged Requires improvement and St Mary's Catholic Academy was judged Good.

  • On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 36.7 for Blackpool Aspire Academy and 41.5 for St Mary's Catholic Academy.

  • GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Blackpool Aspire Academy (36.7 in 2021-22, 36.7 in 2024-25) and has fallen at St Mary's Catholic Academy (44.6 in 2021-22, 41.5 in 2024-25).

Side-by-side comparison

Blackpool Aspire Academy versus St Mary's Catholic Academy compared on inspection, results, pupils and attendance.
Measure BlackpoolBlackpool Aspire AcademyBlackpoolSt Mary's Catholic AcademyEngland average
Overview
Our scoreF30/100D50/100Stronger figure
Local ranking5th of 8 in Blackpool 2nd of 8 in Blackpool Stronger figure
InspectionOfsted: Requires improvementOfsted: GoodStronger figure
School typeAcademy sponsor led Academy converter
PhaseSecondary Secondary
Age range11-16 11-18
GenderMixed Mixed
Pupils on roll835 1,184
Capacity900 1,199
LocationBlackpool, FY3 7LS Blackpool, FY3 7EQ
GCSE results
Attainment 836.7 41.5 Stronger figure46.0
Grade 5+ in English & maths28.5% 28.8% Stronger figure45.4%
Grade 4+ in English & maths53.2% 54.8% Stronger figure64.8%
Entering EBacc3.8% 11.5% Stronger figure40.5%
EBacc average point score3.06 3.37 Stronger figure4.09
Cohort158 208
A-level results
A-level entriesNot reported62
A-level average pointsNot reported31.2 35.0
A-level average gradeNot reportedC
Best 3 A-levels pointsNot reported35.0 35.8
AAB+ incl. facilitating subjectsNot reported19.4% 17.5%
Pupils
Pupils in the census835 1,184
Free school meals (ever 6)66.5% 37.1%
English as an additional language9.8% 28.1%
SEN support16.4% 12.0%
SEN with an EHC plan1.9% 1.8%
Attendance
Overall absence9.6% 7.9% Stronger figure6.2%
Persistent absence32.8% 22.5% Stronger figure15.8%

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.

Blackpool Aspire Academy

St Mary's Catholic Academy

Full profiles: Blackpool Aspire Academy · St Mary's Catholic Academy