Ofsted: Expected standard trending_up Popular emoji_events #8 in Cheshire West and Chester public Top 21% UK

The County High School, Leftwich

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

person Mr Richard Warburton (Principal)

corporate_fareTHE SIR JOHN BRUNNER FOUNDATION

location_onNorthwich, CW9 8EZ

language Visit Website phone 01606333300

verified

Ofsted

Expected standard

Inspected 2026

groups

Students

1,029

trending_up

Attainment 8

50.1

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GCSE Rank

#10 in Cheshire West and Chester

#1,140 of 4,024 nationally

summarize

The County High School, Leftwich is a Academy converter secondary school in Northwich, serving ages 11-16. Assessed at Expected standard by Ofsted on its latest Report Card inspection. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

The County High School, Leftwich is an academy converter in Northwich, Cheshire West and Chester, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of THE SIR JOHN BRUNNER FOUNDATION. The school has approximately 1,046 pupils on roll, of whom 16% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2026, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 50.1, placing the school #10 in Cheshire West and Chester and #1,140 of 4,024 nationally. 51.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 26.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2026. The school's current overall rating is Expected standard. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Expected standard, behaviour and attitudes Expected standard, personal development Strong standard, and leadership and management Strong standard.

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 5.5 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2026

Attainment 8 Score

50.1

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

51.70%

Grade 4+ E&M

68.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)26.8%

5+ GCSEs (4+ incl. E&M)65.60%

Triple Science Entry33.00%

EBacc Slot Score15.5 / 30

2025

Attainment 8 Score

51.9

across 8 GCSE slots

Grade 5+ E&M

57.60%

Grade 4+ E&M

75.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)30.0%

Entering EBacc86.30%

EBacc APS5.05

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.6

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

53.7

Grade 5+ E&M

61.30%

Entering EBacc91.70%

EBacc APS5.27

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.33

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc91%

EBacc APS5.30

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.54

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc89%

EBacc APS5.53

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.8

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

59.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc93%

EBacc APS5.64

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.33

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc89%

EBacc APS4.95

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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

91.7%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87.3%

Apprenticeships2.5%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6.9%

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

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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
2026	#1,097 / 4,024	#8	#1,140	#1
2025	#736 / 3,948	#5	#882	#1
2024	#417 / 4,450	#1	#725	#376
2023	#510 / 4,321	#5	#622	#765
2022	#419 / 4,199	#3	#627	#420
2019	#140 / 2,711	#1	#240	#136
2018	#548 / 2,537	#1	#659	#615

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

02 June 2026

Inspection Report

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26 April 2022

Inspection Report

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08 March 2016

Inspection Report

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28 March 2014

Inspection Report

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02 October 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2026-06-02

S5 Inspection REIF Report Card

Report Card

info

Why no single overall grade?

From autumn 2024 / 2025, Ofsted replaced single-word headline grades (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate) with individual area judgements on a Report Card.

Curriculum & Teaching

Expected standard

Achievement

Expected standard

Attendance & Behaviour

Expected standard

Personal Development

Strong standard

Inclusion

Strong standard

Leadership & Governance

Strong standard

verified_user Safeguarding: Met

2016-03-08

Maintained Academy and School Short inspection Legacy

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

verified_user Safeguarding: Met Latest Ungraded: School remains Outstanding

2011-07-06

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

4.4%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.1%(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 1,048 pupils. During this period, there were 46 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.4%, 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)	1,048	46	4.4%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,044	68	6.5%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,036	57	5.5%	7.4%	3
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,035	69	6.7%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,036	48	4.6%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,028	56	5.4%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,029	51	5.0%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,030	55	5.3%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,013	37	3.7%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,015	34	3.3%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,009	30	3.0%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	999	26	2.6%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	997	5	0.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	994	83	8.4%	3.9%	2
2019/20 (Summer term)	998	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	998	43	4.3%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,000	57	5.7%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	995	33	3.3%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	999	29	2.9%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	995	24	2.4%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	987	31	3.1%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	986	40	4.1%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	987	56	5.7%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	986	42	4.3%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	983	41	4.2%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	993	32	3.2%	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

Speech, Language & Communication 35 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 25 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 6 pupils

Physical Disability 6 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

Overall, how do parents view this school?

67%Positive

My child is happy at this school.

69%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

77%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

When bullying took place, the school dealt with it quickly and effectively.

strongly agree20%

agree22%

disagree26%

strongly disagree20%

don't know2%

not applicable66%

Neither agree nor disagree11%

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree22%

agree39%

disagree10%

strongly disagree9%

don't know1%

Neither agree nor disagree19%

When the school makes decisions it has the child's best interests at heart.

strongly agree25%

agree37%

Neither agree nor disagree16%

disagree12%

strongly disagree8%

Don't know2%

The school gives my child the right support to enable them to learn well.

strongly agree20%

agree42%

Neither agree nor disagree14%

disagree13%

strongly disagree10%

The school communicates well with me about the things I need to know.

strongly agree25%

agree38%

disagree12%

strongly disagree9%

don't know1%

Neither agree nor disagree16%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly.

strongly agree28%

agree31%

disagree10%

strongly disagree10%

not applicable10%

Neither agree nor disagree11%

Does your child have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)?

yes37%

no63%

My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree22%

agree26%

disagree18%

strongly disagree20%

Neither agree nor disagree14%

Would you recommend this school to another parent?

yes78%

no22%

Top Secondary Schools in Cheshire West and Chester

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College

Good

location_on Tarporley, CW6 0BL

emoji_events #1 in LA

Christleton High School

Good

location_on Chester, CH3 7AD

emoji_events #2 in LA

Bishop Heber High School

Expected standard

location_on Malpas, SY14 8JD

emoji_events #3 in LA

Upton-by-Chester High School

Good

location_on Chester, CH2 1NN

emoji_events #4 in LA

St Nicholas Catholic High School

Good

location_on Northwich, CW8 1JW

emoji_events #5 in LA

Weaverham High School

Expected standard

location_on Northwich, CW8 3HT

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Cheshire West and Chester arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ranking History & Trajectory

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Overall, how do parents view this school?

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

When bullying took place, the school dealt with it quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

When the school makes decisions it has the child's best interests at heart.

The school gives my child the right support to enable them to learn well.

The school communicates well with me about the things I need to know.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly.

Does your child have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)?

My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

Would you recommend this school to another parent?

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Cheshire West and Chester

Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College

Christleton High School

Bishop Heber High School

Upton-by-Chester High School

St Nicholas Catholic High School

Weaverham High School