1
Penwortham Girls' High School
Preston • Lancashire • PR1 0SR
1
3 Jul 2024
Top 10 Secondary schools in Lancashire
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the county of Lancashire. 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
146
Outstanding
11
Good
87
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 8% · G: 64% · RI: 25% · I: 4%
2
Pleckgate High School
Blackburn • Lancashire • BB1 8QA
1
2 Jul 2024
3
All Hallows Catholic High School
Preston • Lancashire • PR1 0LN
1
28 Mar 2023
4
Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy
Lancaster • Lancashire • LA1 4RS
1
8 Feb 2023
5
The Blue Coat CofE School
Oldham • Lancashire • OL1 3SQ
1
19 Jan 2023
6
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
Clitheroe • Lancashire • BB7 2DJ
1
15 Jan 2023
7
Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School
Blackburn • Lancashire • BB2 7AD
1
30 Nov 2022
8
Broughton High School
Preston • Lancashire • PR3 5JJ
1
30 Oct 2022
9
Eden Boys' School, Preston
Preston • Lancashire • PR1 4BD
1
20 Jun 2018
10
St Damian's RC Science College
Ashton-under-Lyne • Lancashire • OL6 8BH
1
28 Dec 2017
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
- Preston Muslim Girls High School 1 • Jan 2017
- Cansfield High School 2 • Jul 2024
- Montgomery Academy 2 • Jul 2024
- Albany Academy 2 • Jun 2024
- Turton School 2 • May 2024
- St Peter's Catholic High School 2 • Apr 2024
- Darwen Vale High School 2 • Mar 2024
- St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy 2 • Jan 2024
- Marsden Heights Community College 2 • Nov 2023
- Bedford High School 2 • Nov 2023