Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School

What Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School does

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is a Voluntary-Aided Catholic secondary school located in West Derby, Liverpool, operating under the trusteeship of the Archdiocese of Liverpool and maintained by Liverpool City Council. Founded in 1983 and named after Cardinal John Carmel Heenan, the school serves 1,333 students across Years 7-13, including 173 Sixth Form students, with a Published Admission Number of 240 per year group against consistent oversubscription. Its core academic product spans Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Languages, Arts, Technology, and Sport, supplemented by a Curriculum for Life (PSHE/RSE/Citizenship) programme, an extensive extra-curricular catalogue (STEM Club, Choir, Drama, Sports teams), a distinctive pupil-led Associations programme (Medical, Engineering, Law, Journalism, Computing, Drama), and a Gatsby-Benchmark-aligned Careers programme.

The school's operational technology stack is built entirely on third-party platforms: DC Pro for termly progress reporting, Classcharts for behaviour and seating management, ParentMail for parent communications, MS Teams for homework collaboration, Unifrog and MYPATH for career guidance, and a biometric cashless catering system. There is no proprietary technology development; the school integrates and orchestrates vendor tools to support pastoral, academic, and administrative workflows.

The revenue model is government-funded at its core, with per-pupil grants flowing through Liverpool City Council under maintained-school accountability rules. Supplementary transactional revenue is generated through cashless school meals (with Free School Meals provisions for eligible families) and facilitated uniform sales via preferred suppliers. The go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer in education terms: prospective Year 7 families are recruited via an annual September Open Evening and admissions coordinated with Liverpool City Council; the Sixth Form runs an additional November Open Evening and accepts ~30 external entrants annually. As a non-profit educational institution, the school reinvests operating surplus into curriculum, pastoral support, and capital projects under both Archdiocesan and local-authority oversight.

Name

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School

Legal name

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School

Website

https://cardinal-heenan.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is a Voluntary-Aided Catholic secondary school in West Derby, Liverpool, serving 1,333 students aged 11-18 under Archdiocese of Liverpool trusteeship and government funding via Liverpool City Council.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Catholic secondary education
• Secondary school services
• Sixth form education
• School pastoral support
• Religious education

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a Voluntary-Aided Catholic Secondary School maintained by Liverpool City Council, the school receives government funding with clear accountability rules for public money usage.
2. Catering Services: Cashless catering system for school meals at breakfast, break-time and lunch. Pupils deposit cash in advance in machines located in and around the canteen.
3. Uniform Sales: Sale of school uniform items through preferred suppliers Lisa's Schoolwear and West Derby School Wear.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is a Voluntary-Aided Catholic Secondary School in West Derby, Liverpool, delivering state-funded secondary education for students aged 11-18 across the Main School (Years 7-11) and the Sixth Form (Years 12-13). The school offers a full GCSE and A-level curriculum rooted in Catholic faith and the 'Respect, Believe, Achieve' ethos, supplemented by a pupil-led associations programme, careers education aligned to Gatsby Benchmarks, extensive extra-curricular activities, pastoral and safeguarding support, and a cashless school meals service.

Product overview

Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School is a Catholic comprehensive secondary school in Liverpool offering a unified educational programme across two key stages: the Main School (Years 7-11) and the Sixth Form. The school's core product is its academic curriculum spanning Religious Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities, Languages, Arts, Technology, and Sport. This is supplemented by add-on modules including the Curriculum for Life (PSHE/RSE), an extensive Extra-Curricular Activities programme, pupil-led School Associations (Medical, Engineering, Law, Journalism, Computer Science, Drama), a structured Careers @ Cardinal programme aligned with Gatsby Benchmarks, and the annual Enrichment and Wellbeing Festival. The school integrates with third-party platforms including ParentMail for communication, Classcharts for behavior/seating management, DC Pro for progress tracking, Unifrog for further education guidance, and MYPATH for career exploration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CAFODminorOthersCatholic Agency for Overseas Development - annual pledge recipient. Students raise funds through various activities for this international Catholic charity.
• Royal British Legion Poppy AppealminorOthersAnnual participation in the Poppy Appeal for Remembrance, with students and staff taking part in charitable collections.
• NugentminorOthersLocal Catholic social care organisation supported annually; also provides support services to school community.
• Alder Hey Children's HospitalminorOthersAnnual charitable support for Liverpool's children's hospital through various fundraising activities.
• St Vincent's School for the Blind and Visually ImpairedminorOthersAnnual charitable pledge supporting specialist education services for visually impaired students.
• Archdiocese of LiverpoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool is under the trusteeship of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The Archbishop appoints Foundation Governors and the school follows Catholic education guidelines and inspections (Section 48).
• Zoe's Place Baby HospiceminorOthersYear 7 designated charity - supported throughout the year by the year group.
• MacMillan Cancer SupportminorOthersYear 8 designated charity - supported throughout the year by the year group.
• Teenage Cancer TrustminorOthersYear 9 designated charity - supported throughout the year by the year group.
• The Owen McVeigh FoundationminorOthersYear 10 designated charity - supported throughout the year by the year group.
• Claire HouseminorOthersYear 11 designated charity - supported throughout the year by the graduating class.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Archbishop Blanch CofE School: Voluntary-aided Church of England secondary school in Liverpool with a faith-based ethos, similar PAN scale, and a long-standing reputation for academic and pastoral provision. Closest faith-based peer outside the Catholic system, competing for values-driven Liverpool families.
• St John Bosco Arts College: Catholic voluntary-aided secondary school in Crosby / Netherton area under the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Comparable Catholic mission, GCSE/A-level offer, and feeder network in the wider Liverpool Catholic system.
• St Hilda's Church of England High School: Church of England secondary school in Liverpool with a faith-based admissions policy and broadly comparable 11-18 offer. Closely comparable faith-maintained secondary model with overlapping admissions geography.
• The Academy of St Francis of Assisi: Catholic all-through academy in North Liverpool operating across primary and secondary phases under a faith-based mission. Comparable voluntary-aided / Catholic model, similar pastoral and inclusion emphasis, and overlapping feeder geography.
• De La Salle Academy: Catholic secondary school in Liverpool under the De La Salle trust with faith-based admissions and a similar 11-16 / Sixth Form structure. Comparable size, ethos, and feeder pipeline within the Liverpool Catholic school system.
• Bellerive FCJ Catholic College: Catholic voluntary-aided secondary school in South Liverpool (Crosby area) under the FCJ sisters. Comparable Catholic admissions criteria, GCSE and A-level pathways, and pastoral/careers-led culture, competing for South Liverpool and Knowsley Catholic families.
• St Edward's College, Liverpool: Catholic voluntary-aided secondary school in West Derby / Knotty Ash area of Liverpool, also under Archdiocese of Liverpool trusteeship. Comparable faith-based admissions criteria, GCSE/A-level offer, and feeder-school model serving the same West Derby Catholic catchment.
• Notre Dame Catholic Academy: Catholic secondary school in Liverpool serving a similar 11-18 age range with faith-based admissions and a comparable mix of GCSE, A-level and vocational pathways. Directly competes for the same Liverpool Catholic family cohort.

Broad incumbents

• All Saints Multi Academy Trust: Catholic multi-academy trust operating multiple primary and secondary schools across the Archdiocese of Liverpool footprint. Comparable Catholic ethos and curriculum model at scale, with structural governance advantages (shared back office, capital) versus a single voluntary-aided school.
• La Salle Education (De La Salle Trust network): Catholic multi-academy trust operating several secondary schools in the North West under the De La Salle mission. Comparable faith-based admissions and curriculum, with a multi-site governance model that contrasts with Cardinal Heenan's single-site structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cardinalheenan
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZN8C0HFK3EfLTWWNNsV4Qw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cardinal-heenan-catholic-high-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/cardinal_heenan_liverpool

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School