SCHOOL PROFILE

The Winsford Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 136184
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,312 Published school capacity
Capacity used 72.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

15 July 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Inadequate
Behaviour & attitudes Inadequate
Personal development Requires improvement
Leadership & management Requires improvement
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Cheshire West and Chester
Trust HALLIARD TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 945 945 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 473 50.1% of pupils
Male pupils 472 49.9% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

43.0%
18.2 pts above England
School 43.0%
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.

4.9%
15.4 pts below England
School 4.9%
Cheshire West and Chester 7.9%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.7%
0.7 pts above England
School 1.7%
Cheshire West and Chester 1.6%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
84.4%
798
Unclassified
7.5%
71
Any other White background
1.3%
12
Any other Mixed background
1.2%
11
African
1.1%
10
Any other Asian background
1.1%
10
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% 224 of 945 pupils
2.9 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 23.7%
Cheshire West and Chester 21.1%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 17.6% 166 pupils
England 14.8% 2.8 pts above
EHC plans 6.1% 58 pupils
England 6.0% 0.1 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Other difficulty or disability 126
Social, emotional & mental health 91
Physical disability 6
Moderate learning difficulty 1

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

30.6 8.6 pts below England
School 30.6
Cheshire West and Chester 38.6
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 13.7% England 36.0% 22.3 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 28.9% England 51.4% 22.5 pts below England
EBacc entry 13.7% England 30.6% 16.9 pts below England
EBacc average point score 2.54 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -1.10 · 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

16.67%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

10.45 pts higher than England
School 16.67%
Cheshire West and Chester 6.16%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

45.40%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

29.59 pts higher than England
School 45.40%
Cheshire West and Chester 15.25%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

10.23%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

8.42 pts higher than England
School 10.23%
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

72.0% 20.3 pts below England
The Winsford Academy
72.0%
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.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information