St Catherine's School and College

Independent special school · All-through, ages 7 to 19 · Mixed · Sixth form · Boarding

Grove Road, Ventnor, PO38 1TT

01983 852722 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 19 June 2014; confirmed 2024
Pupils94Room for 94 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 64 in 2019, 71 in 2021, 79 in 2022, 92 in 2023, 93 in 2024, 89 in 2025, 94 in 2026. Across England, special state school pupil numbers were up 39% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals38%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 19 June 2014.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationGood
Outcomes for pupilsGood
Leadership and managementGood

Since then, a shorter ungraded inspection on 30 January 2024: Ofsted found the school was still Good.

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted non-association independent schools inspection data.

What parents say

12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 10 November 2025 and 6 April 2026.

StatementThis schoolEngland
My child is happy at this school 100% 83%
My child feels safe at this school 100% 85%
The school makes sure pupils are well behaved 100% 78%
Concerns were dealt with properlyOf 12 parents who had raised a concern 100% 74%
My child with SEND gets the support they needOf 12 parents of children with SEND 100% 63%
I would recommend this school to another parent 100%said yes 83%

Parents choose whether to take part, so these answers may not represent all families (Ofsted puts the response rate at 13%). Figures are the share who agree or strongly agree. England figures are all parents answering the same questions over the same period, for state-funded schools. The scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) agreement, and the dot marks this school among state schools of the same phase that used the same survey questions. The third it falls in is coloured: green for the top third, amber the middle, red the bottom. Source: Ofsted Parent View management information.

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Results

We don't show GCSE or primary results for independent schools. DfE's tables often leave out the IGCSEs and other qualifications many independent schools use, so their published figures can look far lower than pupils' real results. DfE has published no A level results for this school. Ask the school for its results.

Admissions

Independent schools run their own admissions and set their own fees. Contact the school directly.

Pupils, staff and SEND

This is a special school for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). Places are arranged through the council's SEND team, not the normal admissions round. It caters for: Speech, language and communication needs.

PupilsThis schoolIsle of WightEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 39.7% 48.1%* 51.9%
With an education, health and care plan 100.0% 100.0%* 99.5%
Receiving special educational needs support 0.0% 0.0%* 0.5%
English as an additional language 2.2% 1.1%* 14.4%
Overall absence (sessions missed) 4.7% 13.3%* 12.8%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more) 10.8% 39.5%* 35.3%
Suspensions per 100 pupils 4.5 2.5 12.3
Pupils suspended at least once 4.5% 2.3% 5.1%
Pupils permanently excluded0 pupils 0.00% 0.00% 0.08%

Comparisons are with special schools. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25.

SEND provision: Get Information about Schools (DfE).

Questions parents ask

What is St Catherine's School and College's Ofsted rating?

St Catherine's School and College was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 19 June 2014. At a shorter ungraded inspection in 30 January 2024, Ofsted found the school was still Good.

Would parents recommend St Catherine's School and College?

100% of the 12 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey between 10 November 2025 and 6 April 2026 said they would recommend St Catherine's School and College to another parent. Parents choose whether to respond, so this may not represent all families.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.