SCHOOL PROFILE

The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School

Secondary Academy converter URN 136543
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,200 Published school capacity
Capacity used 104.4% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

30 April 2025
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Good
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

20 November 2019
Graded inspection Good
Published 6 January 2020
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Church of England
Local authority Cheshire West and Chester
Trust THE BISHOPS' BLUE COAT CHURCH OF ENGLAND HIGH SCHOOL
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,253 1,253 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 611 48.8% of pupils
Male pupils 642 51.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

15.8%
9.0 pts below England
School 15.8%
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.

9.1%
11.2 pts below England
School 9.1%
Cheshire West and Chester 7.9%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.8%
0.8 pts above England
School 1.8%
Cheshire West and Chester 1.6%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
78.6%
985
Any other White background
9.4%
118
Any other Mixed background
2.2%
28
Indian
1.6%
20
White and Asian
1.6%
20
Chinese
1.4%
17
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 14.8% 185 of 1,253 pupils
6.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 14.8%
Cheshire West and Chester 21.1%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 11.4% 143 pupils
England 14.8% 3.4 pts below
EHC plans 3.4% 42 pupils
England 6.0% 2.7 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 69
Specific learning difficulty 49
Autistic spectrum disorder 44
Moderate learning difficulty 12
Speech, language & communication 7
Other difficulty or disability 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

53.8 14.6 pts above England
School 53.8
Cheshire West and Chester 38.6
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 58.5% England 36.0% 22.5 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 79.8% England 51.4% 28.4 pts above England
EBacc entry 18.1% England 30.6% 12.5 pts below England
EBacc average point score 4.67 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.26 · 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

6.81%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.59 pts higher than England
School 6.81%
Cheshire West and Chester 6.16%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

19.44%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.62 pts higher than England
School 19.44%
Cheshire West and Chester 15.25%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.07%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.26 pts higher than England
School 2.07%
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

104.4% 12.1 pts above England
The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School
104.4%
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