Isn’t it remarkable that Greyfriars Catholic School stands here today? Greyfriars Catholic School is located in Cowley Oxfordshire England. It is a mixed Roman Catholic secondary school with academy status.
Greyfriars Catholic School has a rich history. It even underwent a name change. Until the end of the 2021-22 academic year the school was named St Gregory the Great Catholic School. The school proudly adopted the name Greyfriars Catholic School.
Greyfriars Catholic School is one of only two state-funded Catholic secondary schools in Oxfordshire. The other is Blessed George Napier Roman Catholic School in Banbury. This makes Greyfriars a significant educational institution in the region.
In April 2013 the school embraced academy status. It became the lead school in the Dominic Barberi Multi-Academy Company a month later. In June 2020 St Gregory’s joined the Pope Francis Multi-Academy Company along with other schools.
Before 2006 Greyfriars Catholic School operated on two sites. These sites were the Cardinal Newman Middle School on Cricket Road and St Augustine’s on Iffley Turn. Securing a grant of 20000000 pounds from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham allowed for the construction of the current buildings.
Interestingly work commenced in March 2014 to convert the adjacent former Cricket Road Centre. This conversion created the school’s new primary school for children aged 4–11. However in October 2020 the primary phase was formally separated. It became St Frideswide Church of England Primary School. Greyfriars Catholic School remains a Catholic school for secondary age pupils.
Ofsted reports offer insights into Greyfriars’ journey. In December 2015 inspectors noted effective action by senior leaders. They addressed areas needing improvement to become a good school. An earlier report in April 2015 described the school as requiring improvement. However Early Years provision and the sixth form received a “Good” rating.
GCSE results in January 2016 revealed the school’s lowest GCSE attainment among Oxfordshire state schools. Only 43% of students achieved the government’s GCSE benchmark. In May 2017 Ofsted placed the school into Special Measures. Inspectors found issues with pupil behavior and lesson disruption.
Greyfriars Catholic School applied for a “New Start” academy conversion in January 2021. This meant previous Ofsted reports and performance measures were disassociated from the new school. In October 2023 the school proudly received a “Good” judgement from Ofsted.
Today Greyfriars Catholic School continues to thrive. Ms Lyndsey Caldwell is the headteacher. The school’s address is Cricket Road Cowley Oxford Oxfordshire OX4 3DR. You can contact them at 01865 749933 or visit their website.
Greyfriars Catholic School has a school capacity of 1200 but currently has 687 pupils. The school is part of THE POPE FRANCIS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY COMPANY. It is also linked with St Gregory the Great Catholic School as its predecessor.
So as you stand before Greyfriars Catholic School remember its history. It includes name changes funding challenges and academic journeys. The school’s motto “Opera in Caritate” reflects its commitment to “Works in Charity”.