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 local authority 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
80
Outstanding
7
Good
48
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 9% · G: 62% · RI: 24% · I: 5%
2
All Hallows Catholic High School
Preston • Lancashire • PR1 0LN
1
28 Mar 2023
3
Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy
Lancaster • Lancashire • LA1 4RS
1
8 Feb 2023
4
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
Clitheroe • Lancashire • BB7 2DJ
1
15 Jan 2023
5
Broughton High School
Preston • Lancashire • PR3 5JJ
1
30 Oct 2022
6
Eden Boys' School, Preston
Preston • Lancashire • PR1 4BD
1
20 Jun 2018
7
Preston Muslim Girls High School
Preston • Lancashire • PR1 5BY
1
12 Jan 2017
8
Albany Academy
Chorley • Lancashire • PR7 3AY
2
10 Jun 2024
9
St Augustine's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
Clitheroe • Lancashire • BB7 9JA
2
21 Jan 2024
10
Marsden Heights Community College
Nelson • Lancashire • BB9 0PR
2
26 Nov 2023
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
- Morecambe Bay Academy 2 • Oct 2023
- Lancaster High School 2 • Oct 2023
- Fulwood Academy 2 • Jul 2023
- Sir John Thursby Community College 2 • Jun 2023
- Balshaw's Church of England High School 2 • Mar 2023
- Bowland High 2 • Feb 2023
- Hodgson Academy 2 • Jan 2023
- Burscough Priory Academy 2 • Jan 2023
- Lancaster Girls' Grammar School 2 • Jan 2023
- Bay Leadership Academy 2 • Dec 2022