OFSTED
19 July 2023
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Community school
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Does not apply
Local authority
Cheshire West and Chester
Trust
Not applicable
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,211
1,211 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
596
49.2% of pupils
Male pupils
615
50.8% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
9.3 pts
below England
School
15.5%
Cheshire West and Chester
18.7%
North West
28.5%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
18.2 pts
below England
School
2.1%
Cheshire West and Chester
7.9%
North West
18.1%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.7 pts
below England
School
0.3%
Cheshire West and Chester
1.6%
North West
0.8%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
87.2%
1,056
Unclassified
5.3%
64
Any other White background
1.9%
23
Any other Mixed background
1.6%
19
White and Asian
0.8%
10
Irish
0.7%
9
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
19.0%
230 of
1,211 pupils
1.8 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
2.1 pts
above
England
6.0%
4.0 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
47.1
7.9 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.05 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
10.53%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
4.31 pts
higher than
England
School
10.53%
Cheshire West and Chester
6.16%
North West
6.25%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
29.14%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
13.33 pts
higher than
England
School
29.14%
Cheshire West and Chester
15.25%
North West
15.89%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
5.65%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
3.84 pts
higher than
England
School
5.65%
Cheshire West and Chester
1.74%
North West
1.75%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
88.3%
4.0 pts
below England
Helsby High School
88.3%
Cheshire West and Chester
88.2%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.