Helsby High School

Cheshire West and Chester · WA6 0HY

General information Secondary School · 11-18 years Who goes here 1211 pupils, 16.5% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 16.9% on SEN support Behaviour 10.5% absence rate Staff 8.5% turnover Financials £7,815 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Helsby High School

General Information

Address: Chester Road, Helsby, Frodsham, WA6 0HY – View on map
Phone: 01928723551
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Martin Hill
Age range: 11-18 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 189 families put it first for 199 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 20 of the 199 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 9 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1211 pupils out of 1371 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 175
% eligible for free school meals: 16.5%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (less mixed than the Cheshire West and Chester average)
English as an additional language: 2% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 8.5% a year (Cheshire West and Chester 13.4%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 46% moved to another school, 54% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Cheshire West and Chester: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 20 (0.9 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 52 (2.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 9 (0.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 10.5%
Persistently absent pupils: 29.1%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 16.9%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 54 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 53 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 22 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 21 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 18 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 11 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
Physical disability: 4 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

–

SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Attainment 8 score: 47.1
Compared with the area: 1.1 points above the Cheshire West and Chester average (46.0)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (+1.5 points against an expected 45.6)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 70% (Cheshire West and Chester 65%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolCheshire West and Chester averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 1.1 points above the Cheshire West and Chester average (46.0).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

10th of 20 secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for Attainment 8

#8Hartford Church of England High School50.3
#9Upton-by-Chester High School48.8
#10Helsby High School47.1
#11The Catholic High School, Chester46.7
#12Queen's Park High School44.2

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College55.1
#2Christleton High School54.8
#3Bishop Heber High School53.8
#4The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School53.8
#5The County High School, Leftwich51.9
#6St Nicholas Catholic High School50.8
#7Weaverham High School50.6
#8Hartford Church of England High School50.3
#9Upton-by-Chester High School48.8
#10Helsby High School47.1
#11The Catholic High School, Chester46.7
#12Queen's Park High School44.2
#13Neston High School43.4
#14Ellesmere Port Church of England College39.0
#15The Whitby High School38.9
#16Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy36.9
#17The Rudheath Senior Academy35.7
#18Chester International School34.5
#19Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College33.2
#20The Winsford Academy30.6

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 96.0%
Went into further education: 90.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

English Language
Maths (General)
English Literature
Science Double Award
History
French Language
Geography
Sociology
Art & Design
Sports Studies
German
Business Studies
Biology
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
D & T
Computer Science
Media Studies
Food Technology
Photography
Music Studies (General)
Polish
Turkish
Chinese

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

6th of 13 secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for Ofsted rating

#4Ellesmere Port Church of England CollegeGood
#5Hartford Church of England High SchoolGood
#6Helsby High SchoolGood
#7Neston High SchoolGood
#8St Nicholas Catholic High SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Bishop Heber High SchoolGood
#2Chester International SchoolGood
#3Christleton High SchoolGood
#4Ellesmere Port Church of England CollegeGood
#5Hartford Church of England High SchoolGood
#6Helsby High SchoolGood
#7Neston High SchoolGood
#8St Nicholas Catholic High SchoolGood
#9Tarporley High School and Sixth Form CollegeGood
#10The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High SchoolGood
#11The Rudheath Senior AcademyGood
#12The Whitby High SchoolGood
#13Upton-by-Chester High SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,815 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

9th of 20 secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for spending per pupil

#7Chester International School£7,865
#8St Nicholas Catholic High School£7,820
#9Helsby High School£7,815
#10Neston High School£7,623
#11The Rudheath Senior Academy£7,558

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1The Catholic High School, Chester£12,580
#2Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College£10,195
#3The Winsford Academy£9,339
#4Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy£8,534
#5The Whitby High School£8,241
#6Ellesmere Port Church of England College£8,122
#7Chester International School£7,865
#8St Nicholas Catholic High School£7,820
#9Helsby High School£7,815
#10Neston High School£7,623
#11The Rudheath Senior Academy£7,558
#12Hartford Church of England High School£7,394
#13The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School£7,394
#14Upton-by-Chester High School£7,337
#15Bishop Heber High School£7,065
#16The County High School, Leftwich£7,024
#17Weaverham High School£6,985
#18Christleton High School£6,619
#19Queen's Park High School£6,574
#20Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College£6,421

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Cheshire West and Chester: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered