About us
Saint Ambrose College is a Catholic, state-funded independent grammar school with a diverse, selective intake. As a state-funded school, there are no fees. We are part of The Gaudete Trust and the Laetare MAT, and we enjoy strong ties with the Edmund Rice Schools Network both nationally and internationally, as well as the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
Saint Ambrose is first and foremost a Catholic college shaped in the vision and charism of Blessed Edmund Rice, and we endeavour to reflect the Eight Essentials of an Edmund Rice education in all that we do. Our mission statement is clear that we want the education and experiences offered at Saint Ambrose College to be transformational.
Students are actively involved in the liturgical life of the college and develop their faith and spirituality through liturgical celebration. All boys have the opportunity to take part in retreats during their time at St Ambrose and Mass is celebrated in the atrium on Thursday mornings. Through the Edmund Rice International Group, and other charitable and immersion opportunities, the boys ensure that the Eight Essentials of an Edmund Rice education relating to compassion, social justice and concern for others are visible in daily college life.
The college is rich in extracurricular activities. We believe that there truly is something for everyone. The main team sports are rugby, athletics, cricket, water polo and football, but beyond sport there are numerous other activities and clubs to participate in, including the always popular Politics Society, the full suite of Duke of Edinburgh awards and thriving creative arts societies, including a range of music clubs and whole school productions, to name but a few. At St Ambrose College, we believe in a broad curriculum offer to ensure that the boys ‘have life to the full’ and this is reflected in the opportunities to engage with them inside and outside the classroom. We are fortunate to have the facilities we have on site, including a state-of-the-art sports hall, a full 4G pitch, a lecture theatre and a top-class swimming pool.
Saint Ambrose College has a prominent house system with students split into 4 houses; Aquinas (blue), Augustine (green), Ignatius (red) and Newman (yellow). There is a competitive element to the house system and boys are proud of the houses they represent. All students have a designated Form Tutor and Head of Year, with additional pastoral support provided by our Student Welfare Manager, Chaplain and our age appropriate, targeted PSHCE programme. We are firmly of the belief that healthy minds and positive mental health are essential for us to be able to fulfil our Mission Statement and ensure that our boys are ‘equipped to make a positive difference in the modern world’.
There are over 1000 boys on the college roll, including over 280 gentlemen in the Sixth Form. We are proud to say that they proceed to a range of third level opportunities, particularly to Russell Group universities and a number to Oxford and Cambridge. In recent years we have had significant success with applications to universities in the USA via The Sutton Trust. Our NEET figures evidence the strong careers education and guidance in place. We celebrate the achievements of our boys annually through different awards ceremonies for different key stages.
The College was awarded 2 exceptional grades (achievement and personal development/wellbeing) and 5 strong grades in our most recent OFSTED inspection of November 2025. The language used in the accompanying report captures the strengths and uniqueness of the school. In 2022 we were judged Outstanding in all areas of our denominational inspection. The report on our website is certainly worth reading with some of the most notable comments stating that, “St Ambrose College provides an outstanding Catholic education for all pupils” and “All pupils are known and cared for as individuals and the opportunities they have to be the best they can be are exceptional.”
Examination results place us amongst the highest achieving schools in the country in terms of attainment and progress. GCSE results in 2025 saw our attainment 8 (A8) score rise for the 6th year in succession to a school record of 76.11. Almost 70% of students attained at least a grade 7 in BOTH English and mathematics. 50% of all grades at GCSE were 8/9 and 75% of grades were 7-9. In 2025 there wasn’t a Catholic school nationally where boys achieved a higher A8 score. Despite exceptionally high starting point, students continue to make excellent progress in the Sixth Form where the progress score was captured by ALPS at a score of 2 on a scale of 1 to 9. The score of 2 places us in the top 10% of schools for key stage 5 progress. Attainment at key stage 5 saw 52% of grades awarded at A*/A and more than 80% of grades awarded at A* -B.
To arrange a visit to our college, please contact: admissions@st-ambrosecollege.org.uk.
Saint Ambrose College is part of the Laetare Catholic Multi-Academy Trust