Verulam SchoolNicholas Breakspear Catholic School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in St Albans.
Summary of the comparison
Verulam School and Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School are secondary schools in St Albans.
Verulam School scores 65 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School scores 78 out of 100 (grade B, strong). Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School is ahead on our composite score.
Verulam School was judged Good and Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School was judged Outstanding.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 52.5 for Verulam School and 56.4 for Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Verulam School (53.0 in 2021-22, 52.5 in 2024-25) and has risen at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School (52.3 in 2021-22, 56.4 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | St AlbansVerulam School | St AlbansNicholas Breakspear Catholic School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C65/100 | B78/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 37th of 81 in Hertfordshire | 11th of 81 in Hertfordshire Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Boys | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 984 | 1,097 | |
| Capacity | 1,135 | 1,056 | |
| Location | St Albans, AL1 4PR | St Albans, AL4 0TT | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 52.5 | 56.4 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 55.3% | 64.6% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 73.0% | 82.9% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 40.1% | 80.6% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.71 | 5.28 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 152 | 175 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 99 | 77 | |
| A-level average points | 32.2 | 35.8 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | B- | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 33.2 | 37.4 Stronger figure | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 15.4% Stronger figure | 13.0% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 984 | 1,097 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 15.1% | 12.1% | |
| English as an additional language | 17.9% | 32.4% | |
| SEN support | 15.8% | 12.5% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.4% | 3.6% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.4% | 4.7% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 21.2% | 10.0% 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
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.
Verulam School
Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School
Full profiles: Verulam School · Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School