SCHOOL PROFILE

Bridgewater High School

Secondary Academy converter URN 141598
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,560 Published school capacity
Capacity used 107.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

11 October 2022
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Warrington
Trust THE CHALLENGE ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,683 1,683 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 820 48.7% of pupils
Male pupils 863 51.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

14.0%
10.8 pts below England
School 14.0%
Warrington 23.7%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

13.1%
7.2 pts below England
School 13.1%
Warrington 16.0%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.7%
0.3 pts below England
School 0.7%
Warrington 0.7%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
79.9%
1,344
Chinese
7.2%
122
Any other White background
2.7%
45
Any other Mixed background
2.1%
36
White and Asian
1.8%
30
Indian
1.3%
22
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 12.7% 214 of 1,683 pupils
8.1 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 12.7%
Warrington 20.1%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 9.0% 151 pupils
England 14.8% 5.8 pts below
EHC plans 3.7% 63 pupils
England 6.0% 2.3 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 61
Autistic spectrum disorder 53
Specific learning difficulty 47
Speech, language & communication 18
Moderate learning difficulty 16
Vision impairment 7

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

51.8 12.6 pts above England
School 51.8
Warrington 41.8
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 57.5% England 36.0% 21.5 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 73.4% England 51.4% 22.0 pts above England
EBacc entry 32.1% England 30.6% 1.5 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.54 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.20 · 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

6.89%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.67 pts higher than England
School 6.89%
Warrington 5.79%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

15.93%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

0.11 pts higher than England
School 15.93%
Warrington 12.94%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.46%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.66 pts higher than England
School 2.46%
Warrington 1.66%
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

107.9% 15.6 pts above England
Bridgewater High School
107.9%
Warrington
92.5%
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