Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #14 in Cheshire West and Chester public Top 37% UK

The Whitby High School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Eric Barford

corporate_fareSeahorse Educational Trust

location_onEllesmere Port, CH66 2NU

language Visit Website phone 1513558445

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

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Students

1,541

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Attainment 8

38.9

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GCSE Rank

#15 in Cheshire West and Chester

#2,681 of 3,216 nationally

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The Whitby High School is a Foundation school secondary school in Ellesmere Port, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

The Whitby High School is a foundation school in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire West and Chester, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of Seahorse Educational Trust. The school has approximately 1,477 pupils on roll, of whom 28% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 38.9, placing the school #15 in Cheshire West and Chester and #2,681 of 3,216 nationally. 31.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 8.5% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 12 A-level subjects. 32.0% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 15.5% at A*–A. A-level value added: 0.08 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 14.3:1. There is 1 teaching vacancy.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 8.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

38.9

Grade 5+ E&M

31.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)8.5%

Entering EBacc42.30%

EBacc APS3.48

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.58

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47.30%

EBacc APS3.46

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.70

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc56%

EBacc APS3.35

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc49%

EBacc APS3.8

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc51%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48%

EBacc APS3.86

2018

Progress 8 Score

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc51%

EBacc APS4.06

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.08

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*5.8%

Achieving A*–A15.5%

Achieving A*–B32.0%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate94.1%

A-level subjects offered12

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.46

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2023

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

24 May 2022

Inspection Report

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09 July 2019

Inspection Report

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06 February 2019

Inspection Report

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24 March 2015

Inspection Report

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13 June 2012

Inspection Report

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19 May 2011

Inspection Report

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16 January 2008

Inspection Report

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15 April 2002

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2022-05-24

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2019-07-09

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2019-02-06

S5 Inspection Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2015-03-24

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

7.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.4%(65 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,477 pupils. During this period, there were 104 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 7.0%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,477	104	7.0%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,485	150	10.1%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,570	106	6.8%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,579	66	4.2%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,595	63	3.9%	8.2%	5
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,549	74	4.8%	6.6%	3
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,541	76	4.9%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,544	85	5.5%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,562	56	3.6%	4.7%	2
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,586	81	5.1%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,593	55	3.5%	4.4%	2
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,606	68	4.2%	3.6%	2
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,609	19	1.2%	1.0%	1
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,612	63	3.9%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,614	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,614	52	3.2%	3.2%	3
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,626	57	3.5%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,585	34	2.1%	3.1%	3
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,597	34	2.1%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,605	47	2.9%	3.8%	4
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,527	38	2.5%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,531	40	2.6%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,536	40	2.6%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,492	28	1.9%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,506	23	1.5%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,518	28	1.8%	3.1%	1

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 77 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 32 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 27 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 16 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 9 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils