Ofsted gives verdict on Fleetwood's Cardinal Allen School amid teacher strikes over forced academisation
The report stated: "Pupils at Cardinal Allen Catholic High School thrive in a culture of warm relationships rooted in Catholic values."
Ofsted inspectors have given their verdict on a Fylde Coast high school amid controversial plans of academisation and restructuring.
Cardinal Allen High School in Fleetwood was visited by Ofsted in April 2026 and has been assessed under a new inspection framework.
Schools are now no longer given an overall judgement and are instead assessed on five individual areas of performance, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and safeguarding.
Within this new framework Cardinal Allen met the expected standards in every area assessed, meaning the school continues to provide a good level of education.
The report stated: "Pupils at Cardinal Allen Catholic High School thrive in a culture of warm relationships rooted in Catholic values."
"Leaders have overseen an improvement in behaviour over time. With clear, well-embedded routines, pupils enjoy a safe, calm culture of learning built on positive relationships with their peers and teachers."
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The inspection comes at a time of significant turmoil for Cardinal Allen amid staff walkouts and strikes over a push by the Catholic Diocese of Lancaster to bring all of its schools under the umbrella of a multi-academy trust (MAT).
The National Education Union is calling on the Bishop of Lancaster, Paul Swarbrick, to abandon his plans after it claimed that up to five teachers could lose their jobs due to the academisation. Bishop Swarbrick laid out his plans back in 2020, and the vast majority of Catholic schools in Lancashire have already made the switch.
Teachers at Cardinal Allen walked out of classrooms for one day on July 16th, and plan to walk out again on September 22nd and September 23rd should the plans go ahead.
Nat Kerray, curriculum leader and NEU rep at Cardinal Allen spoke to the Gazette during the July 16 strike. He explained that the school had considered joining an academy trust previously, but ultimately decided against the move. He said: It just wasn’t in anyone’s interest in terms of the money it would cost.
Going from paying what we pay Lancashire County Council now and what we’d have to pay the MAT, we’d have to lose possibly five teachers.”