OFSTED
3 February 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
5 October 2021
Graded inspection
Good
Published
28 November 2021
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Local authority
Warrington
Trust
THE CHALLENGE ACADEMY TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
879
879 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
433
49.3% of pupils
Male pupils
446
50.7% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
15.2 pts
above England
School
40.0%
Warrington
23.7%
North West
28.5%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
0.4 pts
below England
School
19.9%
Warrington
16.0%
North West
18.1%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.8 pts
above England
School
1.8%
Warrington
0.7%
North West
0.8%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
74.5%
655
Any other White background
5.5%
48
Chinese
5.2%
46
Any other ethnic group
2.4%
21
Any other Mixed background
2.2%
19
Any other Asian background
1.9%
17
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
18.0%
158 of
879 pupils
2.9 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
4.1 pts
below
England
6.0%
1.2 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
46.1
6.9 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.24 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
8.50%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
2.28 pts
higher than
England
School
8.50%
Warrington
5.79%
North West
6.25%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
22.53%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
6.71 pts
higher than
England
School
22.53%
Warrington
12.94%
North West
15.89%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
2.84%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.04 pts
higher than
England
School
2.84%
Warrington
1.66%
North West
1.75%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
106.5%
14.2 pts
above England
Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School
106.5%
Warrington
92.5%
North West
91.8%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.