Warrington’s state schools get better results than 81% of towns in England
Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard: 69% of primary pupils in Warrington, above both Cheshire’s towns (63%) and towns in England (62%). 71 state-funded schools are located in Warrington’s built-up area. Warrington grades A− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #11 of 46 in Cheshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
43 of Warrington’s 71 state schools belong to 12 academy trusts. Challenge Academy Trust runs 11 of them, including Beamont Collegiate, Bridgewater High, Padgate, Penketh High and Sir Thomas Boteler: 5,171 of the 10,923 secondary pupils. Who runs them ↓
Evelyn Street beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At Evelyn Street Primary Academy and Nursery, 27% of pupils are on free school meals and 92% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 61%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Warrington grades A− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (69% meet the standard)Better than 84% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (49.5 and 50%)Better than 70% of towns in England
Each of Warrington’s 52 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Warrington’s 10 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolWarrington’s average school
The primary figure: 52 primaries in the town, 6,630 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 10 secondaries in the town, 2,099 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 Warrington’s 71 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 Warrington’s built-up area.
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.
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 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School to 61% at Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School. Against schools with the same intake, Bruche Academy does best: 98% with 18% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 64%. 33 of 47 primaries and 7 of 10 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 Warrington
Warrington Council handles applications for every state school in Warrington, 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. 30 of Warrington’s 64 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%; 18 schools are at or over it.
Grappenhall Heys incl. nursery132%
Cinnamon Brow incl. nursery120%
Bruche incl. nursery116%
St Thomas' incl. nursery113%
Great Sankey incl. nursery111%
Penketh South incl. nursery110%
Bridgewater High108%
Evelyn Street incl. nursery107%
Sir Thomas Boteler107%
Bewsey Lodge incl. nursery104%
Show all 58 schools
Thelwall Infant incl. nursery104%
Woolston102%
Oakwood Avenue incl. nursery102%
Chapelford Village101%
St Gregory's101%
St Benedict's incl. nursery101%
Brook Acre100%
St Peter's100%
Barrow Hall100%
Stretton St Matthew's100%
Woolston99%
Beamont Collegiate99%
Penketh99%
Cardinal Newman98%
Christ Church97%
St Margaret's incl. nursery97%
St Bridget's incl. nursery97%
Grappenhall St Wilfrid's96%
Latchford St James incl. nursery96%
King's Leadership Academy Warrington96%
Stockton Heath96%
St Stephen's95%
Great Sankey High94%
Park Road93%
Sacred Heart90%
Thelwall Community Junior90%
Locking Stumps90%
St Joseph's89%
Dallam incl. nursery88%
Penketh High88%
Padgate88%
St Oswald's incl. nursery88%
Gorse Covert88%
Birchwood Community High83%
Alderman Bolton incl. nursery83%
Broomfields Junior83%
Meadowside Community incl. nursery81%
St Alban's incl. nursery80%
Beamont incl. nursery79%
Callands77%
Our Lady's77%
Bradshaw76%
St Monica's73%
St Augustine's incl. nursery71%
Westbrook Old Hall70%
Birchwood69%
The Cobbs Infant incl. nursery64%
St Vincent's incl. nursery62%
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
71 state schools in Warrington
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 Warrington’s schoolsA22B24C14D29 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.
Outstanding 4Good 28Report card 9Ungraded inspection only 28No published grade 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. 9 of Warrington’s 71 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
Challenge Academy TrustBridgewater High, Penketh High, Beamont Collegiate, Sir Thomas Boteler, Padgate, Great Sankey, Broomfields Junior, Dallam, Meadowside Community, Penketh South, Priestley College
11
6,594
A−BB−B−C−ABBD−B−
Emmanuel Diocese of Liverpool Academies TrustSt Margaret's, Cinnamon Brow, Bewsey Lodge, St Andrew's, St Elphin's, Warrington St Ann's, Warrington St Barnabas
7
1,167
B+BBBBC+A−
One Community TrustBirchwood Community High, Oakwood Avenue, Locking Stumps, Woolston, Gorse Covert, Brook Acre
Omega Multi-Academy TrustGreat Sankey High, Chapelford Village, Westbrook Old Hall, Park Road, Bradshaw
5
3,339
B+A+DAC
Chester Diocesan Academies TrustSt Thomas', Stretton St Matthew's
2
446
A−A+
Great Schools TrustKing's Leadership Academy Warrington
1
804
A
Aldridge EducationAldridge UTC Warrington
1
278
—
Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy TrustOur Lady's
1
144
C−
Beam Education TrustThelwall Infant
1
140
—
Kings Academy TrustKassia Academy and Support Services
1
18
—
Liverpool Diocesan Schools TrustSt Philip (Westbrook)
1
0
A+
Warrington CouncilSt Gregory's, Cardinal Newman, Barrow Hall, Grappenhall St Wilfrid's, Stockton Heath, Grappenhall Heys, Christ Church, The Cobbs Infant, Green Lane Community Special, Sankey Valley St James, St Joseph's, St Benedict's, St Peter's, Woolston, St Stephen's, St Bridget's, St Alban's, Sacred Heart, Latchford St James, St Oswald's, Fox Wood Special, Thelwall Community Junior, Birchwood, St Monica's, St Augustine's, St Vincent's, Sandy Lane Nursery and Forest, Woolston Brook
28
7,921
A−C+ABB+A+B+A−A−C+AAB+BC−C+C−BBC+A−BC
After 16
Where Warrington’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 Warrington’s 10 state secondaries has a sixth form: Great Sankey High. Priestley College is a state 16–19 school in the city. Warrington and Vale Royal College, a further-education college, is in the city.
Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 10
state schools in Warrington
Colleges within 12 miles
4
nearest: Warrington and Vale Royal College
Grammar schools in Warrington
0
no selective state secondaries
College
Distance
Warrington and Vale Royal CollegeFurther-education college · WA2 8QA
Special schools and alternative provision in Warrington
Warrington has 3 special schools (Fox Wood Special, Green Lane Community Special and Woolston Brook: 476 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), Warrington 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 ↑
Warrington Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
14th of 38 English towns and cities of 122,000 to 236,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Warrington, and the top and bottom of the group.
Lymm 5 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.8 mi
A
73%
53.5
Culcheth 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 5 mi
B+
66%
46.8
Lymm 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 Warrington: 9% (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 Warrington
Are schools in Warrington good?
Warrington’s state schools earn an A− against schools across England: primary results beat 84% of towns in England; secondary results beat 70% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Warrington council.
What is the best secondary school in Warrington?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, King's Leadership Academy Warrington: Attainment 8 of 55.4 and 63% 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 Warrington?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Bruche Academy: 98% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Warrington secondary schools have sixth forms?
1 of 10 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Warrington?
Through Warrington 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 Warrington are full?
18 of 58 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 Warrington?
71 open state-funded schools are located in Warrington’s built-up area: 54 primary, 10 secondary and 7 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.
