Nicholas Breakspear Catholic SchoolLoreto College
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in St Albans.
Summary of the comparison
Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School and Loreto College are secondary schools in St Albans.
Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School scores 78 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and Loreto College scores 74 out of 100 (grade B, strong). Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School is ahead on our composite score.
Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School was judged Outstanding and Loreto College was judged exceptional.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 56.4 for Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School and 58.3 for Loreto College.
GCSE Attainment 8 has risen at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School (52.3 in 2021-22, 56.4 in 2024-25) and has fallen at Loreto College (64.5 in 2021-22, 58.3 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | St AlbansNicholas Breakspear Catholic School | St AlbansLoreto College | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B78/100Stronger figure | B74/100 | |
| Local ranking | 11th of 81 in Hertfordshire Stronger figure | 21st of 81 in Hertfordshire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Outstanding | Ofsted: Outstanding | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Girls | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,134 | 952 | |
| Capacity | 1,056 | 927 | |
| Location | St Albans, AL4 0TT | St Albans, AL1 3RQ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 56.4 | 58.3 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 64.6% Stronger figure | 59.0% | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 82.9% Stronger figure | 82.7% | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 80.6% | 89.7% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.28 | 5.52 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 175 | 156 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 77 | 73 | |
| A-level average points | 35.8 Stronger figure | 33.1 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | B- | C+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 37.4 Stronger figure | 32.8 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 13.0% Stronger figure | 7.4% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,097 | 930 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 12.1% | 14.9% | |
| English as an additional language | 32.4% | 30.2% | |
| SEN support | 12.5% | 14.0% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.6% | 1.0% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 4.7% Stronger figure | 8.0% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 10.0% Stronger figure | 31.5% | 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
A-level average points
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.
Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School
Loreto College
Full profiles: Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School · Loreto College