Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #7 in Cheshire West and Chester public Top 18% UK

The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School

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

person Ms Helen Cairns (Headteacher)

corporate_fareTHE BISHOPS' BLUE COAT CHURCH OF ENGLAND HIGH SCHOOL

location_onChester, CH3 5XF

language Visit Website phone 01244313806

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2019

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Students

1,144

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Attainment 8

53.7

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GCSE Rank

#6 in Cheshire West and Chester

#702 of 4,024 nationally

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The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School is a Academy converter secondary school in Chester, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School is an academy converter in Chester, Cheshire West and Chester, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE BISHOPS' BLUE COAT CHURCH OF ENGLAND HIGH SCHOOL. The school has approximately 1,253 pupils on roll, of whom 16% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2026, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 53.7, placing the school #6 in Cheshire West and Chester and #702 of 4,024 nationally. 57.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 28.3% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 17 A-level subjects. 38.6% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 15.8% at A*–A. In the 2022/23 leavers cohort, 16.4% progressed to Top-Third Higher Education institutions (ranked #909 nationally), out of 53% progressing to higher education overall. A-level value added: -0.34 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 5.0 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)

2026

Attainment 8 Score

53.7

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

57.70%

Grade 4+ E&M

78.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)28.3%

5+ GCSEs (4+ incl. E&M)77.60%

Triple Science Entry13.80%

EBacc Slot Score16.2 / 30

2025

Attainment 8 Score

53.8

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

58.50%

Grade 4+ E&M

79.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)26.9%

Entering EBacc18.10%

EBacc APS4.67

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.8

Grade 5+ E&M

45.90%

Entering EBacc19.30%

EBacc APS4.15

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.42

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc17%

EBacc APS4.37

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13%

EBacc APS4.21

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.05

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc21%

EBacc APS4.24

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.49

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc16%

EBacc APS3.74

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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

90.8%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83.1%

Apprenticeships3.4%

Employment4.3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5.8%

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

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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

-0.34

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*2.9%

Achieving A*–A15.8%

Achieving A*–B38.6%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate100.0%

A-level subjects offered17

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.02

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate96.20%

Post-18 Destinations 89.4% sustained

school Higher Education (University) 53%

handshake Apprenticeships 3%

work Employment 30.3%

Not sustained / NEET6.1%

2023

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate93.80%

Post-18 Destinations (2022/23 leavers)92.5% sustained

school Higher Education (University) 46.3%

stars Top-Third Universities 16.4%

handshake Apprenticeships 7.5%

work Employment 34.3%

Not sustained / NEET6%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate95.3%

Post-18 Destinations 88% sustained

school Higher Education (University) 59%

handshake Apprenticeships 1.2%

work Employment 25.3%

Not sustained / NEET10.8%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results & 16-19 Destination Measures

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Ranking History & Trajectory

National & Local Authority position based on DfE performance data · Methodology

Year	Secondary Overall (Nat)	LA Rank	GCSE Attainment	Progress 8 Rank	A-Level VA	Top-Third Uni	Overall Uni (HE)
2026	#846 / 4,024	#7	#702	#1	—	#909	#1,557
2025	#810 / 3,948	#6	#703	#1	#2,085	#909	#1,557
2024	#1,275 / 4,450	#8	#1,314	#954	#1,194	#909	#1,557
2023	#905 / 4,321	#7	#897	#606	—	—	#1,792
2022	#1,637 / 4,199	#11	#1,586	#1,584	—	—	#1,204
2019	#1,213 / 2,711	#8	#967	#1,509	—	—	—
2018	#2,030 / 2,537	#12	#1,794	#2,271	—	—	—

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

29 April 2025

Inspection Report

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20 November 2019

Inspection Report

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20 November 2018

Inspection Report

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11 March 2015

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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19 May 2011

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2019-11-20

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Good

verified_user Safeguarding: Met Latest Ungraded: Standards maintained

2018-11-20

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

2015-03-11

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Latest Ungraded: School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

2011-05-19

None Legacy

Good

Education

Good

Leadership

Good

history Predecessor Link

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

4.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.7%(32 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 1,203 pupils. During this period, there were 58 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.8%, 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)	1,203	58	4.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,213	63	5.2%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,177	68	5.8%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,179	48	4.1%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,182	63	5.3%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,144	58	5.1%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,144	34	3.0%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,153	30	2.6%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,119	24	2.1%	4.7%	2
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,116	23	2.1%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,114	20	1.8%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,099	16	1.5%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,104	9	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,105	16	1.4%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,045	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,045	11	1.1%	3.2%	2
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,049	25	2.4%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,011	12	1.2%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,024	12	1.2%	3.8%	2
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,020	14	1.4%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,026	17	1.7%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,027	19	1.9%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,028	22	2.1%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,027	16	1.6%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,026	10	1.0%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,031	3	0.3%	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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 60 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 54 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 29 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 10 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 8 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils