The Catholic High School, Chester

General Information

Address: Old Wrexham Road, Handbridge, Chester, CH4 7HS
Phone: 01244952788
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs CATHRYN MCKEAGNEY
Age range: 11-18 years
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Roman Catholic
Number of pupils: 797
School capacity: 1117
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 151
% eligible for free school meals: 23.0%
Nursery provision: No

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.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 9.1%
Persistently absent pupils: 25.9%
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

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.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 19.8%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.8%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Other difficulty or disability: 91 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 38 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 25 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil
Physical disability: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 27 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 6 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 4 pupils
Vision impairment: 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.

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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Educational Attainment

Good 2021 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.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

Attainment 8 score: 46.7
Data year: 2024/25

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.

Ranked #11 of 20 Attainment 8 schools of this type in the area

#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

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

#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: 82.0%
Went into further education: 73.0%
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

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Religious Studies
Science Double Award
History
Geography
Art & Design
Business Studies
Biology
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Sports Studies
Computer Science
D & T
Food Technology
Speech & Drama
Polish
French Language
Spanish
Portuguese
Italian
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

Ranked #12 of 17 Ofsted Rating schools of this type in the area

#10Tarporley High School and Sixth Form CollegeGood
#11The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High SchoolGood
#12The Catholic High School, ChesterGood
#13The Rudheath Senior AcademyGood
#14The Whitby 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.

#1The County High School, LeftwichOutstanding
#2Bishop Heber High SchoolGood
#3Chester International SchoolGood
#4Christleton High SchoolGood
#5Ellesmere Port Church of England CollegeGood
#6Hartford Church of England High SchoolGood
#7Helsby High SchoolGood
#8Neston High SchoolGood
#9St Nicholas Catholic High SchoolGood
#10Tarporley High School and Sixth Form CollegeGood
#11The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High SchoolGood
#12The Catholic High School, ChesterGood
#13The Rudheath Senior AcademyGood
#14The Whitby High SchoolGood
#15Weaverham High SchoolGood
#16Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports CollegeRequires improvement
#17Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary AcademyRequires improvement

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £12,580 (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.

Ranked #1 of 21 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#1The Catholic High School, Chester£12,580
#2Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College£10,195
#3The Winsford Academy£9,339

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.

#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
#21Sir John Deane's Sixth Form College£5,506

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

General Information

Behaviour

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