Primary schools3 · best KS2 results first
Hartford Hall Hotel · Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0ASchool Grade
Schools in Hartford · DfE, Ofsted
Hartford’s state schools get better results than 88% of towns in England
At Key Stage 2, 72% of pupils at Hartford’s primaries met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, above both Cheshire’s towns (63%) and towns in England (62%). 7 state-funded schools are located in Hartford’s built-up area. Hartford grades A for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #10 of 46 in Cheshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
State schools
7
3 primary, 2 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
72%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
49.7
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
54%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
What stands out about Hartford’s schools
Strong at both ages
Hartford’s secondary results beat 76% of English towns; its primary results beat 92%. 72% of the 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. Every school’s result ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Hartford grades A for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (72% meet the standard)Better than 92% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (49.7 and 54%)Better than 76% of towns in England
Each of Hartford’s 3 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
England’s average schoolCheshire West and Chester’s average school
The primary figure: 3 primaries in the town, 454 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 2 secondaries in the town, 425 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 Hartford’s 7 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 Hartford’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
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 2 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
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 6% at Hartford Manor Primary School & Nursery to 17% at Hartford Church of England High School. Against schools with the same intake, St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School does best: 74% with 11% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 66%. 3 of 3 primaries are above the line.
Show as a table
| School | Free school meals | Result | Typical for that intake | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary SchoolKS2 % | 11% | 74% | 66% | +8 |
| Hartford Manor Primary School & NurseryKS2 % | 6% | 74% | 67% | +7 |
| Hartford Primary SchoolKS2 % | 7% | 69% | 67% | +2 |
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 Hartford
Cheshire West and Chester Council handles applications for every state school in Hartford, 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. 3 of Hartford’s 5 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.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 1 school is at or over it.
Hartford Manor incl. nursery105%
St Nicholas97%
Hartford94%
Hartford92%
St Wilfrid's91%
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
7 state schools in Hartford
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 Hartford’s schoolsA 3B 2C 0D 02 without a letter
Secondary schools2 · best GCSE results first
Special schools, nurseries and colleges2 · no letter: their results don’t compare
Village schools near Hartford1 · outside any built-up area; Hartford is the nearest town
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 4Report card 1Ungraded inspection only 2
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. 1 of Hartford’s 7 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.
| School | Safeguarding | Achievement | Curriculum and teaching | Inclusion | Attendance and behaviour | Personal development and well-being | Leadership and governance | Sixth form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloughwood AcademyApril 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Expected standard | Expected standard |
Who runs them
2 academy trusts and the council
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create Learning TrustHartford | 1 | 396 | B+ |
| Kaleidoscope Learning TrustCloughwood | 1 | 120 | — |
| Cheshire West and Chester CouncilSt Nicholas, Hartford, Hartford Manor, St Wilfrid's, Greenbank | 5 | 3,065 | BA−A−A− |
After 16
Where Hartford’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
1 of Hartford’s 2 state secondaries has a sixth form: St Nicholas. The nearest college is Reaseheath College, a further-education college 11 miles away.
Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 2
state schools in Hartford
Colleges within 12 miles
4
nearest: Reaseheath College
Grammar schools in Cheshire West and Chester
0
no selective state secondaries
| College | Distance |
|---|---|
| Reaseheath CollegeFurther-education college · CW5 6DF | 11 mi |
| Cheshire College - South & WestFurther-education college · CW2 8AB | 11.4 mi |
| Riverside College HaltonFurther-education college · WA8 7QQ | 11.4 mi |
| Warrington and Vale Royal CollegeFurther-education college · WA2 8QA | 11.6 mi |
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Hartford
Hartford has 2 special schools (Cloughwood and Greenbank: 249 pupils). 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
33rd of 430 English towns of 5,000 to 9,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Hartford, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | A+ | 83% | 78.4 | 99% |
| … | |||||
| 29 | Earls Barton Northamptonshire | A | 69% | — | — |
| 30 | London Colney Hertfordshire | A | 67% | 56.4 | 64% |
| 31 | City of London London | A | 71% | 50.7 | 54% |
| 32 | Chiswell Green Hertfordshire | A | 72% | 51.3 | 51% |
| 33 | Hartford Cheshire | A | 72% | 49.7 | 54% |
| 34 | West End and Chobham Surrey | A | 67% | 53.9 | 59% |
| 35 | Cotgrave Nottinghamshire | A | 69% | 52.9 | 52% |
| 36 | Penistone South Yorkshire | A | 68% | 51.4 | 59% |
| 37 | Iver Heath Buckinghamshire | A | 66% | 54.8 | 61% |
| … | |||||
| 430 | Amble Northumberland | D− | 35% | 32.7 | 16% |
Neighbours
Hartford and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
DavenhamNorthwichWeaverhamBarntonCuddingtonRudheathWinsfordHartford
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford 7 schools | A | 72% | 49.7 |
| Davenham 6 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.5 mi | B | 66% | 43.7 |
| Northwich 4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.6 mi | B | 59% | 48.6 |
| Weaverham 5 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.8 mi | B− | 52% | 51 |
| Barnton 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.1 mi | A− | 65% | 51 |
| Cuddington 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.3 mi | A | 68% | 53.5 |
| Rudheath 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.7 mi | B | 64% | 47.1 |
| Winsford 13 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.8 mi | D− | 49% | 35.6 |
Cuddington 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 Hartford: 5% (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 Hartford
Are schools in Hartford good?
Hartford’s state schools earn an A against schools across England: primary results beat 92% of towns in England; secondary results beat 76% 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 Hartford?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Hartford Church of England High School: Attainment 8 of 49.7 and 60% 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 Hartford?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Hartford Manor Primary School & Nursery: 74% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Hartford secondary schools have sixth forms?
1 of 2 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Hartford?
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 Hartford are full?
1 of 5 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 Hartford?
7 open state-funded schools are located in Hartford’s built-up area: 3 primary, 2 secondary and 2 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.
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