1
Golborne High School
Warrington • Cheshire • WA3 3EL
1
8 Mar 2023
Top 10 Secondary schools in Cheshire
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the county of Cheshire. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
94
Outstanding
9
Good
62
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 11% · G: 73% · RI: 13% · I: 4%
2
Wade Deacon High School
Widnes • Cheshire • WA8 7TD
1
30 Jan 2023
3
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls
Altrincham • Cheshire • WA14 2NL
1
4 Dec 2022
4
Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Altrincham • Cheshire • WA14 2RS
1
10 Nov 2022
5
Loreto Grammar School
Altrincham • Cheshire • WA14 4AH
1
9 Nov 2022
6
Sale Grammar School
Sale • Cheshire • M33 3NH
1
27 Sep 2022
7
King's Leadership Academy Warrington
Warrington • Cheshire • WA1 4PF
1
16 Sep 2019
8
The County High School, Leftwich
Northwich • Cheshire • CW9 8EZ
1
25 Apr 2016
9
Cheadle Hulme High School
Cheadle • Cheshire • SK8 7JY
1
12 Jan 2015
10
Copley Academy
Stalybridge • Cheshire • SK15 3RR
2
9 Jul 2024
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- Ormiston Chadwick Academy 2 • Jul 2024
- Christleton High School 2 • Jul 2024
- Lymm High School 2 • Jun 2024
- Sandymoor Ormiston Academy 2 • May 2024
- St Nicholas Catholic High School 2 • May 2024
- Hartford Church of England High School 2 • Nov 2023
- Bramhall High School 2 • Oct 2023
- St Anne's RC Voluntary Academy 2 • Jul 2023
- Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College 2 • Jun 2023
- Ellesmere Port Church of England College 2 • Jun 2023