Primary schools1 · best KS2 results first
Photo: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 4.0DSchool Grade
Schools in Pickmere · DfE, Ofsted
Pickmere’s secondaries are among England’s weakest at GCSE: an Attainment 8 score of 32.2, below Cheshire’s towns and towns in England
On this, Pickmere is below both Cheshire’s towns (48.4) and towns in England (45.9). 1 state-funded school is located in Pickmere’s built-up area. Pickmere grades D for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #42 of 46 in Cheshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
State schools
1
1 primary, 0 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
56%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
32.2
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
19%
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.
School Grade
Pickmere grades D for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (56% meet the standard)Better than 25% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (32.2 and 19%)Better than 1% of towns in England
The primary figure lifts Pickmere; the secondary figure holds it back.
Pickmere has 1 primary of its own with KS2 results, too few to judge on, so the primary figure uses the 5 graded primaries in and within 3 km of the town (418 pupils in results). Pickmere has no secondaries of its own with GCSE results, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (115 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 Pickmere’s state school is
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 Pickmere’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondarySpecial, 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.
Getting a place
How school places work in Pickmere
Cheshire West and Chester Council handles applications for every state school in Pickmere, 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. 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
The schools
1 state school in Pickmere
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 Pickmere’s schoolsA 0B 0C 1D 0
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 inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
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. 0 of Pickmere’s 1 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.
Towns its size
412th of 457 English towns of 2,500 to 4,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Pickmere, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collingham Nottinghamshire | A+ | 82% | — | — |
| … | |||||
| 408 | East Ayton and West Ayton North Yorkshire | D | 49% | 40.4 | 40% |
| 409 | Wootton Isle of Wight | D | 56% | 36.1 | 28% |
| 410 | Papworth Everard Cambridgeshire | D | 53% | — | — |
| 411 | Rendlesham Suffolk | D | 53% | — | — |
| 412 | Pickmere Cheshire | D | 56% | 32.2 | 19% |
| 413 | Bream Gloucestershire | D | 53% | — | — |
| 414 | East Saltdean East Sussex | D | 56% | 37.4 | 25% |
| 415 | Appleby-in-Westmorland Cumbria | D | 52% | 40.7 | 34% |
| 416 | Berinsfield Oxfordshire | D | 52% | — | — |
| … | |||||
| 457 | Watchet Somerset | D− | 29% | — | — |
Neighbours
Pickmere and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
Lostock GralamRudheathNorthwichBarntonDavenhamHartfordKnutsfordPickmere
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickmere 1 school | D | 56% | 32.2 |
| Lostock Gralam 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 0.9 mi | D | 55% | 32.2 |
| Rudheath 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.3 mi | B | 64% | 47.1 |
| Northwich 4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.8 mi | B | 59% | 48.6 |
| Barnton 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.4 mi | A− | 65% | 51 |
| Davenham 6 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.8 mi | B | 66% | 43.7 |
| Hartford 7 schools · 4.4 mi | A | 72% | 49.7 |
| Knutsford 6 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.4 mi | A+ | 80% | 52.9 |
Knutsford 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 Pickmere: 0% (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 Pickmere
Are schools in Pickmere good?
Pickmere’s state schools earn a D against schools across England: primary results beat 25% of towns in England; secondary results beat 1% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Cheshire West and Chester council.
How do I apply for a school place in Pickmere?
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 state schools are in Pickmere?
1 open state-funded school is located in Pickmere’s built-up area: 1 primary, 0 secondary and 0 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.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.