SCHOOL PROFILE

Whitworth Community High School

Secondary Community school URN 119753
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 709 Published school capacity
Capacity used 92.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

22 March 2023
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 Lancashire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 654 654 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 321 49.1% of pupils
Male pupils 333 50.9% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

24.9%
0.1 pts above England
School 24.9%
Rossendale 22.6%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

0.8%
19.5 pts below England
School 0.8%
Rossendale 6.0%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.5%
0.5 pts below England
School 0.5%
Rossendale 0.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
88.4%
578
Unclassified
5.4%
35
White and Asian
1.2%
8
Any other White background
0.8%
5
Traveller of Irish heritage
0.8%
5
White and Black African
0.8%
5
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 23.7% 155 of 654 pupils
2.9 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 23.7%
Rossendale 22.6%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 20.3% 133 pupils
England 14.8% 5.6 pts above
EHC plans 3.4% 22 pupils
England 6.0% 2.7 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 49
Specific learning difficulty 32
Autistic spectrum disorder 22
Other difficulty or disability 21
Moderate learning difficulty 16
Speech, language & communication 12

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

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

50.3 11.1 pts above England
School 50.3
Rossendale 34.4
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 63.4% England 36.0% 27.4 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 79.7% England 51.4% 28.3 pts above England
EBacc entry 13.0% England 30.6% 17.6 pts below England
EBacc average point score 4.24 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.08 · 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

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

5.87%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.35 pts lower than England
School 5.87%
Rossendale 5.51%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

17.70%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

1.88 pts higher than England
School 17.70%
Rossendale 12.84%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.03%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.77 pts lower than England
School 1.03%
Rossendale 1.46%
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

92.2% 0.1 pts below England
Whitworth Community High School
92.2%
Rossendale
93.5%
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.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information