Widnes’s state schools get lower results than 53% of towns in England
Widnes’s secondaries average an Attainment 8 score of 43.1 across eight GCSEs, below both Cheshire’s towns (48.4) and towns in England (45.9). 27 state-funded schools are located in Widnes’s built-up area. Widnes grades B− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #32 of 46 in Cheshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
None of the 3 state secondaries in Widnes keeps pupils past 16. Most others go to a further-education or sixth-form college, or a sixth form in another town. After 16 ↓
St Gerard's beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At St Gerard's Catholic Primary and Nursery School, 41% of pupils are on free school meals and 71% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 57%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Widnes grades B− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (63% meet the standard)Better than 60% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (43.1 and 42%)Better than 35% of towns in England
The primary figure lifts Widnes; the secondary figure holds it back.
Each of Widnes’s 16 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Widnes’s 3 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolHalton’s average school
The primary figure: 16 primaries in the town, 2,115 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 3 secondaries in the town, 750 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 Widnes’s 27 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 Widnes’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 7% at Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School to 74% at Kingsway Primary Academy School. Against schools with the same intake, Moorfield Primary School does best: 89% with 13% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 65%. 13 of 16 primaries and 1 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 Widnes
Halton Council handles applications for every state school in Widnes, 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. 11 of Widnes’s 20 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%; 3 schools are at or over it.
St Michaels incl. nursery103%
Wade Deacon High102%
St Bede's102%
Lunts Heath100%
St Bede's99%
Farnworth99%
St John Fisher97%
St Gerard's incl. nursery97%
Fairfield94%
Ormiston Chadwick91%
Show all 20 schools
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour90%
Oakfield incl. nursery88%
All Saints Upton87%
Saints Peter and Paul80%
St Michael with St Thomas CE80%
Ditton77%
Kingsway Academy incl. nursery76%
Moorfield74%
Widnes incl. nursery60%
St Basil's incl. nursery53%
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
27 state schools in Widnes
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 Widnes’s schoolsA4B7C6D28 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 2Good 11Report card 2Ungraded inspection only 11No published grade 1
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. 2 of Widnes’s 27 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
Wade Deacon TrustWade Deacon High, Widnes
2
1,785
B+C−
Warrington Primary Academy TrustDitton, Kingsway Academy
2
536
C−C−
Ormiston Academies TrustOrmiston Chadwick
1
884
D
Three Saints Academy TrustSt Michael with St Thomas CE
1
167
B−
Shaw Education TrustBrookfields
1
141
—
Youth Engagement Schools TrustThe Raise
1
60
—
Halton CouncilSaints Peter and Paul, Fairfield, Lunts Heath, Farnworth, St Bede's, Oakfield, St Michaels, St Gerard's, Moorfield, St Basil's, St Bede's, St John Fisher, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, All Saints Upton, Ashley High, Chesnut Lodge Special, Birchfield Nursery, Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools, Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools
19
5,505
C−BA−A−BD−BA−A+CBB−C+
After 16
Where Widnes’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
All 3 state secondaries in Widnes teach 11 to 16. Riverside College Halton, a further-education college, is in the large town.
Warrington and Vale Royal CollegeFurther-education college · WA2 8QA
6.5 mi
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Widnes
Widnes has 4 special schools (Ashley High, Brookfields, Chesnut Lodge Special and The Raise: 423 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Halton 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 ↑
Halton Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
59th of 114 English towns and cities of 42,000 to 81,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Widnes, and the top and bottom of the group.
Burtonwood 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 5.4 mi
B
67%
44.8
Cronton has the best-graded schools nearby (B). 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 Widnes: 10% (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 Widnes
Are schools in Widnes good?
Widnes’s state schools earn a B− against schools across England: primary results beat 60% of towns in England; secondary results beat 35% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Halton council.
What is the best secondary school in Widnes?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Wade Deacon High School: Attainment 8 of 49.2 and 54% 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 Widnes?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Moorfield Primary School: 89% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Widnes secondary schools have sixth forms?
No. All 3 state secondaries teach 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.
How do I apply for a school place in Widnes?
Through Halton 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 Widnes are full?
3 of 20 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 Widnes?
27 open state-funded schools are located in Widnes’s built-up area: 17 primary, 3 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.
