Ofsted: Outstanding accessibility_new Special School (SEND)

Ashley High School

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

person Miss D Wilson (Headteacher)

location_onWidnes, WA8 7HG

language Visit Website phone 01514244892

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Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2015

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Students

116

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Age Range

11-19

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Ashley High School is a Community special school secondary school in Widnes, serving ages 11-19. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade.

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School Summary

Ashley High School is a special school in Widnes, Halton, admitting pupils aged 11-19. The school has approximately 137 pupils on roll, of whom 54% are eligible for free school meals.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2015. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 7.2:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.5 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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Specialist Provision Assessment Context

Because Ashley High School is a specialist or alternative provision setting, pupils often follow tailored curricula rather than standard national GCSE or SAT benchmarks. National attainment figures below may be suppressed or reflect small cohorts.

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2026

Attainment 8 Score

6.5

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

9.50%

Grade 4+ E&M

9.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)3.1%

5+ GCSEs (4+ incl. E&M)0.00%

Triple Science Entry0.00%

EBacc Slot Score2.8 / 30

2025

Attainment 8 Score

10.7

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

9.10%

Grade 4+ E&M

22.70%

Entering EBacc0.00%

EBacc APS1.13

2024

Progress 8 Score

-2.66

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

10.6

Grade 5+ E&M

18.80%

Entering EBacc0.00%

EBacc APS1.21

2023

Progress 8 Score

-2.06

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

12.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS1.40

2022

Progress 8 Score

-2.57

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

9.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS1.1

2019

Progress 8 Score

-2.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

11.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS1.19

2018

Progress 8 Score

-1.31

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

11.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS1.12

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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.

2026

Stayed in Education / Employment

87.5%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87.5%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6.3%

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

100%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)100%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

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

Apprenticeships0%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

100%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)100%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

No digital report timeline available.

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2015-03-24

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Latest Ungraded: School remains Outstanding

2012-10-31

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

5.5%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.9%(5 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 128 pupils. During this period, there were 7 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 5.5%, 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)	128	7	5.5%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	128	2	1.6%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	115	1	0.9%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	114	2	1.8%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	114	4	3.5%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	119	0	0.0%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	116	5	4.3%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	117	5	4.3%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	117	13	11.1%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	114	3	2.6%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	114	1	0.9%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	112	4	3.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	110	1	0.9%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	109	2	1.8%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	103	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	103	1	1.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	102	1	1.0%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	104	1	1.0%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	104	3	2.9%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	104	0	0.0%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	100	0	0.0%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	98	0	0.0%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	102	0	0.0%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	95	0	0.0%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	97	0	0.0%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	95	0	0.0%	3.1%	0

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.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 40 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 40 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 26 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 7 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 7 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils