Ellesmere Port’s state schools get lower results than 93% of towns in England
A strong pass in English and maths, grade 5 or better, went to 25% of Ellesmere Port’s pupils, below both Cheshire’s towns (47%) and towns in England (45%). 26 state-funded schools are located in Ellesmere Port’s built-up area. Ellesmere Port grades D for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #43 of 46 in Cheshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Ellesmere Port’s secondary results beat 4% of English towns; its primary results beat 19%. 54% of the large town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 61% across Cheshire West and Chester. The spread between primaries is wide: 78% at St Mary of The Angels Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy, 33% at The Oaks Community Primary School. Every school’s result ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Ellesmere Port grades D for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (54% meet the standard)Better than 19% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (37.7 and 25%)Better than 4% of towns in England
Each of Ellesmere Port’s 20 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Ellesmere Port’s 3 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolCheshire West and Chester’s average school
The primary figure: 20 primaries in the town, 2,199 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 3 secondaries in the town, 561 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Ellesmere Port’s 26 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Ellesmere Port’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 3 secondaries are named.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
Secondaries: Attainment 8 against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 6% at Meadow Primary School to 54% at Westminster Community Primary School. Against schools with the same intake, Wolverham Primary and Nursery School does best: 64% with 40% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 57%. 2 of 18 primaries and 0 of 3 secondaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Ellesmere Port
Cheshire West and Chester Council handles applications for every state school in Ellesmere Port, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 8 of Ellesmere Port’s 23 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 5 schools are at or over it.
Wolverham incl. nursery132%
Cambridge Road Community incl. nursery122%
Rivacre Valley incl. nursery109%
Westminster108%
William Stockton incl. nursery102%
Meadow100%
Sutton Green97%
Whitby Heath97%
Ellesmere Port96%
Ellesmere Port Christ Church94%
Show all 21 schools
Little Sutton91%
Rossmore incl. nursery91%
The Acorns incl. nursery90%
Parklands Community incl. nursery88%
Brookside incl. nursery88%
St Bernard's Roman incl. nursery87%
The Whitby High86%
The Oaks82%
Woodlands incl. nursery78%
Our Lady Star of the Sea incl. nursery69%
Ellesmere Port58%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
26 state schools in Ellesmere Port
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Ellesmere Port’s schoolsA1B3C13D63 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Good 10Report card 4Requires improvement 1Ungraded inspection only 8No published grade 3
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 4 of Ellesmere Port’s 26 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Academy TrustEllesmere Port, St Mary of The Angels, St Saviour's
3
950
D−AC
Concordia Multi Academy TrustWilliam Stockton, Wolverham, Parklands Community
3
852
CB−C+
Seahorse Educational TrustThe Whitby High
1
1,398
C−
Frank Field Education TrustEllesmere Port
1
777
D
Everton Multi Academy TrustMeadow
1
419
B
Rowan Learning TrustThe Acorns
1
356
D
Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy TrustSt Bernard's Roman
1
209
C
Chester Diocesan Academies TrustLittle Sutton
1
160
D
Weaver Trust LimitedWestminster
1
151
C−
Cheshire West and Chester CouncilWoodlands, Whitby Heath, Rivacre Valley, Sutton Green, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Cambridge Road Community, Ellesmere Port Christ Church, Rossmore, Brookside, The Oaks, Archers Brook SEMH, Hinderton, The Bridge Short Stay
13
3,114
C−C−C−C−B−C−C+DC−D−
After 16
Where Ellesmere Port’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
Every state secondary in Ellesmere Port has its own sixth form. The nearest college is The City of Liverpool College, a further-education college 9.2 miles away.
Secondaries with a sixth form
3 of 3
state schools in Ellesmere Port
Colleges within 12 miles
3
nearest: The City of Liverpool College
Grammar schools in Cheshire West and Chester
0
no selective state secondaries
College
Distance
The City of Liverpool CollegeFurther-education college · L3 5TP
Special schools and alternative provision in Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port has 2 special schools (Archers Brook SEMH and Hinderton: 180 pupils) and 1 alternative provision school, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Cheshire West and Chester Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Cheshire West and Chester Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
98th of 106 English towns and cities of 46,000 to 88,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Ellesmere Port, and the top and bottom of the group.
Mickle Trafford has the best-graded schools nearby (A). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Ellesmere Port: 3% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Ellesmere Port
Are schools in Ellesmere Port good?
Ellesmere Port’s state schools earn a D against schools across England: primary results beat 19% of towns in England; secondary results beat 4% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Cheshire West and Chester council.
What is the best secondary school in Ellesmere Port?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, The Whitby High School: Attainment 8 of 39 and 32% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Ellesmere Port?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, St Mary of The Angels Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy: 78% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Ellesmere Port secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, all 3 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Ellesmere Port?
Through Cheshire West and Chester Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Ellesmere Port are full?
5 of 21 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Ellesmere Port?
26 open state-funded schools are located in Ellesmere Port’s built-up area: 20 primary, 3 secondary and 3 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
