SCHOOL PROFILE

Chester International School

Secondary Studio schools URN 144742
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 320 Published school capacity
Capacity used 71.6% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 14 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

8 February 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 Studio schools
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Cheshire West and Chester
Trust THE LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 229 229 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 154 67.2% of pupils
Male pupils 75 32.8% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

25.8%
1.0 pts above England
School 25.8%
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.

13.5%
6.8 pts below England
School 13.5%
Cheshire West and Chester 7.9%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

4.4%
3.4 pts above England
School 4.4%
Cheshire West and Chester 1.6%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
66.8%
153
Any other White background
10.0%
23
Unclassified
9.6%
22
Any other Mixed background
5.7%
13
Any other ethnic group
3.5%
8
African
2.2%
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 45.0% 103 of 229 pupils
24.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 45.0%
Cheshire West and Chester 21.1%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 38.9% 89 pupils
England 14.8% 24.1 pts above
EHC plans 6.1% 14 pupils
England 6.0% 0.1 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 48
Specific learning difficulty 19
Autistic spectrum disorder 18
Speech, language & communication 5
Other difficulty or disability 4
No specialist assessment yet 4

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

34.5 4.7 pts below England
School 34.5
Cheshire West and Chester 38.6
North West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 23.4% England 36.0% 12.6 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 42.9% England 51.4% 8.5 pts below England
EBacc entry 49.4% England 30.6% 18.8 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.22 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -1.20 · 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

15.51%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

9.30 pts higher than England
School 15.51%
Cheshire West and Chester 6.16%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

51.45%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

35.63 pts higher than England
School 51.45%
Cheshire West and Chester 15.25%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

6.94%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

5.13 pts higher than England
School 6.94%
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

71.6% 20.8 pts below England
Chester International School
71.6%
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