suites and a theatre with a high stage, curtains and specialist lights. It was officially opened by Labour MPs Jim Knight (then-Minister of State for Schools) and Keith Vaz, MP for Leicester East. There is a Catholic chapel on the premises, which features a plaque blessed by Pope John Paul II. It also features two hard-court areas, one with basketball posts and sports court with two full size football goals. There is a large grass field at the rear of the premises. All teaching rooms are well-equipped with resources and interactive whiteboards, with many having access to computers and laptops. There is a floor dedicated to science, and a specialist room for special educational needs interventions. Curriculum St Paul's offers GCSE, A-Level and BTEC qualifications, as well as a mandatory PHSE programme. Academic results Leicester LEA usually has low GCSE results, but the school is one of the few to gain high results, and in 2010 was third best, behind another Catholic school, English Martyrs Catholic School (in the north-west of Leicester). St Paul's had the best A-Level results in Leicestershire in 2012. Since the introduction of reformed GCSE exams in 2017, St Paul's has consistently had an above average number of students achieving a grade of 5 or higher in English and Mathematics compared to other state-funded schools in the local authority. A-level results since 2017 have been in line with or above the average results for schools in the local authority, with the proportion of A* and A grades increasing in 2019. Staffing The school is managed on a day-to-day basis by the senior leadership team consisting of a principal, two vice principals, three assistant principals, a business manager and a part time lay chaplain. All curriculum subjects are led by a faculty leader, assistant faculty leader and sub-subject leaders (e.g. Biology Subject Leader). Years 7–11 are headed by a Head of Year (also referred to as a Progress Leader), and years 12 and 13 are headed by the Head of Sixth Form (role performed by an Assistant Principal), assisted by an Assistant Head of Sixth Form. There are also Assistant Head of Years and Student Support Officers to support pupils with a variety of issues. Altogether, St. Paul's employs over one hundred staff. SEN provision include that of a specialist learning development team with particular responsibility for aiding pupils with additional needs, including higher level teaching assistants