Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #11 in Cheshire West and Chester public Top 21% UK

The Catholic High School, Chester

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

personMrs CATHRYN MCKEAGNEY

corporate_fareTHE CHESTER CATHOLIC ACADEMIES PARTNERSHIP

location_onChester, CH4 7HS

language Visit Website phone 1244952788

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

groups

Students

816

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Attainment 8

46.7

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GCSE Rank

#11 in Cheshire West and Chester

#1,418 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Catholic High School, Chester is a Academy converter secondary school in Chester, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

The Catholic High School, Chester 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 CHESTER CATHOLIC ACADEMIES PARTNERSHIP. The school has approximately 808 pupils on roll, of whom 22% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46.7, placing the school #11 in Cheshire West and Chester and #1,418 of 3,216 nationally. 44.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 21.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 18 A-level subjects. 28.1% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 9.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.34 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

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

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 14.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.1 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)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

46.7

Grade 5+ E&M

44.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)21.7%

Entering EBacc15.10%

EBacc APS4

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11.90%

EBacc APS3.76

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.50

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc6%

EBacc APS3.62

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS4.08

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc7%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.07

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS3.83

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13%

EBacc APS3.59

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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

82%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)73%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment13%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

82%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)73%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment11%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

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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.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.1%

Achieving A*–A9.7%

Achieving A*–B28.1%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate93.4%

A-level subjects offered18

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.09

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate90.80%

2023

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate88.00%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

30 November 2021

Inspection Report

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15 March 2016

Inspection Report

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01 March 2013

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2016-03-15

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2011-09-21

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2006-09-18

None EIF

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

2.4%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.0%(16 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 808 pupils. During this period, there were 19 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.4%, 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)	808	19	2.4%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	798	15	1.9%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	801	17	2.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	806	8	1.0%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	817	10	1.2%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	834	9	1.1%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	816	13	1.6%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	810	16	2.0%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	831	18	2.2%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	835	14	1.7%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	823	5	0.6%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	835	25	3.0%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	843	12	1.4%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	844	41	4.9%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	853	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	853	26	3.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	861	56	6.5%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	874	69	7.9%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	876	58	6.6%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	877	39	4.4%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	878	21	2.4%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	874	46	5.3%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	874	68	7.8%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	873	49	5.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	861	50	5.8%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	861	43	5.0%	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.

Other Difficulty/Disability 71 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 36 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 28 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 1 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

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The Catholic High School, Chester

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

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)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Cheshire West and Chester

Christleton High School

Bishop Heber High School

Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College

The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School

The County High School, Leftwich

St Nicholas Catholic High School