Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since September 2017, Greg McClarey BSc MEd PGCE, who joined the school in 1997 as a science teacher, later becoming head of year, assistant head and deputy head prior to becoming Blessed’s fourth headteacher. Before that, he was at Aylestone High School in Hereford, where he started his teaching career as head of biology and head of house. Attended Limavady Grammar School in Northern Ireland and studied chemistry at John Moores University, Liverpool.

Softly spoken (‘I’ve never heard him raise his voice,’ say students) and wholly unaffected, he clearly relishes running this caring school where he does the break and lunch rounds in his red jacket (‘all the supervising staff wear them so that students see we’re here watching and available’) and with his famous litter-picking stick (‘I try to be a role model in this regard!’). Still teaches – ‘and very well too,’ we heard. ‘I’m very much a headteacher not a principal,’ he explained. ‘You have to lead by example and anyway, that’s why I came into the job.’

‘The students will probably tell you I’m strict!’ he told us, but he was wrong. They actually called him ‘really friendly’ and said that ‘if he does pick us up on something, he’s always fair and respectful’. They’re awe-struck that ‘he knows all our names’ and that ‘apparently, he gives the staff a card on their birthday’. Parents say, ‘You can always pick up the phone and know he’ll talk to you’ and they applaud his focus on raising academic expectations alongside an emphasis on character. The latter is how he starts his whole-school speech every September – ‘Of course, I want our students to do well but equally, I want them to help make the world a better place.’

Married to Gaynor, a teacher at the school, with two daughters who both came here. ‘At one time, all four us were here together!’ Loves music and literature (Seamus Heaney is a hero and he’s currently reading a book by his wife, Marie Devlin). A former triathlete, he also enjoys sport, though sticks to road cycling these days.

Entrance

Academically non-selective, admitting 210 children into year 7 from over 25 primary schools. Priority goes to baptised Catholic children at one of the five feeder Catholic primary schools in Worcester, Droitwich and Pershore – who make up around half the cohort. Next down the list are baptised Catholic children from other schools and only then are the doors opened to non-Catholic children, including any siblings of current or former students, then children at one of the five Catholic feeder schools, then at one of the local CofE feeder schools. Finally, it’s children of staff, then children with EHCPs, then all other non-Catholic children. Distance is the deal breaker if it’s oversubscribed – which it usually is. The usual priority is given to (past or present) looked-after children. Worth asking about occasional places higher up the school as there is some movement. Overall, around half the students are Catholic, the rest mainly CofE, then Muslim, but also some Jewish and Jehovah’s Witnesses, among others – and a few with no faith.

Exit

Majority of year 11 pupils move to Worcester Sixth Form College, others to eg Christopher Whitehead Language College, Heart of Worcestershire College, Prince Henry’s in Evesham, King Edward VI College in Stourbridge and Hereford Sixth Form College. Parents praise the ‘support with finding the right place’ and ‘more general careers advice’. There had been a careers fair the day before our visit and all year 10s had recently done their work experience – Bosch, a local nursery and a hairdresser for our three tour guides.

Latest results

In 2024, 24 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 78 per cent 9-5 in both English and maths at GCSE.

Teaching and learning

MFL is a strength, with French, German or Spanish taught from years 7 to 9 (and able linguists have the option to study a second language through after-school lessons). We popped in to a lively lesson where students were filling in Spanish lyrics to a pop song. ‘They make lessons really fun,’ said a student. Around half take a language at GCSE, when students can also take their home language GCSE – Polish and Portuguese recently. The school runs German and French exchange trips, linking with schools in Stuttgart and Lille – and they recently hosted groups of students from China and Taiwan.

Both progress and attainment are significantly above Worcestershire and national averages, which the school achieves by teaching students in either upper, mixed-ability or support sets – with some additional setting in maths and science in years 8 and 9. Good to see stronger students pulling the others up, eg in an English lesson where students were discussing what can make writing persuasive.

Most students take nine GCSEs, but 30 or so do further maths on top – and nearly half take triple science. RE is compulsory. School unapologetic about not subscribing to EBacc – ‘It would mean dropping three options to just one, which we feel is too constraining and anyway, we wouldn’t want to sacrifice our wide range of creative subjects which are very popular here.’ Geography also gets good numbers, as do business studies and computer science (including for girls), with MFL numbers steady. Cambridge Nationals available in some subjects including sports science and childcare. Maths, sciences and the arts get the best results, and English has come on leaps and bounds.

Teachers are described as ‘committed’ and ‘supportive’. ‘It’s obvious they want to do their best by the kids,’ said a parent. The ones we saw put real effort into keeping things interactive and animated, including a particularly dynamic geography teacher. ‘His lessons are so good!’ said a student. Lots of stretch too, say parents: ‘They are always saying to my very academic daughter, “Come on, if you just did this you could probably hit that next grade”.’ A few grumbles, however, that the school can get ‘a bit set on target grades that were based on year 6 Sats which can feel unrealistic five years later’.

All homework set on Microsoft Teams, with laptops also available to support learning in class. Oracy skills are a focus, eg form time gets students standing in a circle weekly to discuss topics ranging from misogyny to school uniform. ‘We’re big on debating,’ said a student.

Book ahead for parents’ evenings, say parents, ‘as there aren’t slots for every family’ – although school is moving toward more live reporting ‘so parents are kept informed on a more ongoing basis’. Staff turnover low – ‘I’ve been here nearly 30 years and it’s not the longest!’ says the head.

Learning support and SEN

We love their ‘Think Barriers’ approach, which gets staff doing just that – spotting any potential barriers to students with SEND. Outcomes can be as simple as clutter-free classrooms, all PowerPoints having pastel backgrounds to reduce glare and limiting the number of words on a slide to reduce cognitive load. Many of the recommendations come from students themselves – including a boy we met who heads up the additional needs inclusion team. He explained that they meet weekly, arrange events such as Autism Acceptance Week, help with the transition of new students with SEND and help develop the SEND student website. They give presentations around neurodiversity and gave us a fabulous pamphlet summarising what they do, complete with a jargon buster section.

Around 12 per cent of students are on the SEN register, including 28 EHCPs and a further 126 students on the ‘monitoring list’. Cognition and learning are the main needs, followed by communication and interaction, then SEMH and finally sensory or physical needs (the campus is wheelchair friendly). We met the longstanding SENDCo (who is also a qualified teacher and comes from a specialist provision background); she is assisted by 13 learning support mentors providing support both in the classroom and via one-to-ones.

Parents told us the department stands out in terms of comms, organisation, implementing what’s been suggested and informing teachers when they need to adapt more. ‘They are faultless,’ said one; another that she’d chosen this school ‘over local independent schools because of the SEN provision’ and she hadn’t been disappointed. We also heard praise from one parent whose child had been given a mentor at break times in the wellbeing room – ‘It worked really well because he was vulnerable to teasing in the playground.’ Parents say the team ‘works well with outside agencies’, including two ed psychs they have links with.

The arts and extracurricular

Art, design and tech are exceptional, with fine art, graphics, photography, 3D design, systems and control, food tech and textiles all available at GCSE. The dedicated classrooms seem endless, where we saw everything from whirring sewing machines to messy hands handling clay to watercolours for under-the-sea paintings. Much of it to the background sounds of Taylor Swift. In food tech, students were investigating the different properties of sugar via cookie baking. Students can use these spaces at lunchtimes and teachers stay on after school as GCSE deadlines creep up. ‘The whole department give great feedback and are always supportive,’ said one mother. Competitions regularly entered too – one girl had her work exhibited at the local train station on the back of winning one.

‘Amazing’ music, say parents, and here too there are plentiful classrooms with everything from keyboards to Mac computers – decorated by pictures of Elgar through to the Beatles. In one, a group of students were performing with keyboards, piano, drums and singing – bravo! ‘They get them to fall in love with music here and are so good at instilling confidence,’ said a parent. Just shy of 90 students have private lessons in guitar, drums, strings, wind, brass or singing (financial support available). No orchestra but each year group has an auditioned soul band, with places highly sought after – they perform at open evenings, coffee mornings etc. College choir performs at collective worship, masses and carol service, as well as in the community. Around 25 do GCSE.

Drama undergoing a bit of a hiatus. ‘We are looking out for the right GCSE to replace the one our previous exam board dropped,’ says head – this can’t come soon enough, say parents and students. But annual productions are still going strong – ‘very professional,’ say parents. Most recently Beauty and the Beast, with auditions just over for Sister Act. ‘I think we might have Deloris right here,’ winked a teacher, pointing to one of our tour guides. ‘What impresses me most is how many students want to get involved, whether it’s costumes, lighting or tickets – and they’re terribly serious about it all,’ said one mother. ‘They are so heavily supported,’ we also heard, ‘including by retired teachers and parents.’

Masses of clubs (most at lunchtime; sporty ones after school) ranging from the traditional to the niche, eg Scalextric, chess, art, science, eco, gardening, St Vincent de Paul Society, Catholic Life magazine, mock trial, debate club, Japanese club and card club. Some are student led – we met one student who’d set up dance club. DofE available at bronze and silver (the latter unusual in a 16+ school) – students had just got back from their camping trip.

School works hard to make trips varied and accessible, so it’s goodbye to some of the fancier ones (although there’s still an annual ski trip) and more of a focus on battlefields, language exchanges, Lourdes pilgrimage etc. Plus day trips – curriculum-based through to Harry Potter World and Drayton Manor, the latter recently for those with the best attendance.

Sport

Football, netball, hockey and athletics are the mainstays (all on rotation so you’re not stuck with a whole term of a sport you might hate), with handball and volleyball also featuring among the 12 sports on offer. Inclusive too, with 41 teams across the year groups and a 75 per cent win rate. ‘All of my children have a fixture most weeks, even in year 10 – and that’s not just the A team,’ said one parent, another telling us that her child is on the ‘netball, rounders and swim team – and is always taking part in tournaments’. All facilities are on site, including playing friends, pavilion, sports hall, fabulous new fitness suite, plus Astro, tennis courts and new MUGA in the making (diggers busy during our visit). GCSE PE is popular, as is sports studies. ‘There’s a real have-a-go attitude around sport,’ said a parent. Good sports leadership opportunities too, add students, who told us they go into primary schools (eg golf) and teach year 7s and 8s (eg tennis).

Ethos and heritage

Blessed’s, as it is fondly known, was founded in 1963 by local parishioners. Originally designed for 400 students, it now educates over 1,000. But although the campus, nestled in a residential area of south Worcester, isn’t huge, it doesn’t feel cramped, with zoned outdoor areas for each year group to use at break times (bigger and more open for year 7s, smaller with more seating areas for year 11 etc), all incorporating a covered area. It’s roomy inside too, with the original building having been extended over the years, plus some stand-alone blocks. Most feel reasonably contemporary, including new maths classrooms and science labs, although we can understand why the head would like the art and design block to be refurbished.

The Catholic ethos sets the school apart locally, though the religious aspect is worn lightly enough not to put off people of other faiths and none. So, yes, there’s a chapel, a crucifix in every classroom, plenty of Catholic symbolism and daily collective worship – ‘but for us, as non-Catholics, the appeal was more about the values of kindness, being a good person etc,’ said a parent. Several students told us they are ‘non-believers’ and ‘don’t feel we belong any less than anyone else’.

Food is grab’n’go – available either from the main hall or an outside hut. We braved the lunchtime rush – though nobody gets past the headmaster’s uniform check on the way in. Food itself is varied, with hot and cold options both at break and lunch, served by friendly canteen staff. We enjoyed the build-your-own baguette – fresh and delicious. Breakfast recently introduced.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Known locally for its warm and welcoming feel that parents liken to ‘an extended family’. ‘I begged my parents to come here after a taster day – it felt much more friendly than others we visited,’ said a student. Parents told us that ‘quieter, more anxious’ children do well here and that ‘they’re good at toning down the louder ones by channelling their energies into sport, debating etc’.

‘They understand that each child needs to be emotionally settled, valued and included in order to learn,’ felt a mother. Another, whose child had experienced some mental health issues, told us the school had been ‘incredible in supporting her, I couldn’t have asked for more’. Good on transition too, we heard – can start as early as year 5.

The school is ahead of the curve with counselling (they’ve had a counsellor for 20 years) and we loved the Sanctuary, a suite of rooms including support rooms and quiet spaces where some children were playing cards at lunchtime. The Bungalow is another exciting venture which (thanks to crowdfunding) will offer a bridge back into school for the 15 or so students who have trouble attending school, as well as offering alternative core GCSE provision if the classroom environment really doesn’t work for them.

But the school is no soft touch, with low-level disruption, lateness, uniform and ‘inappropriate’ haircuts all clamped down on. We saw four students in the internal exclusion room working sheepishly under the watchful (but also supportive) eye of supervising staff, apparently a fairly typical number. Around 50 suspensions a year and one or two permanent exclusions. But students say the approach is more forgiving and restorative than in the past – ‘They want to work with you, not discipline you for the sake of it.’ One mother told us her child ‘made a significant misdemeanour and could so easily have been excluded but the head told him, “You’re a good boy, I can see you’ve made a mistake.”’

A refugee was coming in to do a talk the day after our visit – ‘part of personal development and covering wider world issues,’ said a student. Curriculum regularly reviewed to check for enough ethnic diversity. Discriminatory language not tolerated, with assemblies used to explore any concerns. ‘As with things like vaping or fights, they want to educate you as to why it’s wrong, not just tell you off,’ said a student. No LGBTQ+ group (‘although I’d love to have one – they just haven’t asked for it,’ says head).

Pupils and parents

The first student we met told us he’d checked out the Good Schools Guide website the night before – instant brownie points for him! Others we met made a point of coming up to us if they saw us again later. ‘How’s your day?’ ‘Are you enjoying it?’ ‘What did you think of the food?’ etc – and they remembered our names too. By no means all Perfect Peters, but they stand out as a considerate, curious cohort, and are noticeably proud of their school. Several parents told us they’d noticed this at open day too. Families hail from all areas of Worcester, plus Pershore, Droitwich and Malvern – 90 per cent either walking or catch a school bus. Many parents came here themselves – ‘I taught her dad!’ said the head of one student, while another said she was the fourth in her family to come here. There’s socio-economic diversity (12 per cent pupil premium) and more of an ethnic mix than in Worcester itself. No PTA, but ‘there are coffee mornings and WhatsApp groups if you want them,’ said a parent.

The last word

A hardworking and community-driven school that parents say ‘exceeded our expectations’. Stands out for its Catholic ethos, pastoral care and dedicated, longstanding staff. ‘I’ve lost count of how often I’ve recommended it,’ said one parent.

Interpreting catchment maps

The maps show in colour where the pupils at a school came from*. Red = most pupils to Blue = fewest.

Where the map is not coloured we have no record in the previous three years of any pupils being admitted from that location based on the options chosen.

For help and explanation of our catchment maps see: Catchment maps explained