Bishop Heber High School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,293 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.8
Foundation school
Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College
- Pupils on roll
- 651of 750 places
- Free school meals
- 48.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 133
- Ofsted
- Report card, 12 May 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Needs attentionAchievement Needs attentionAttendance and behaviour Expected standardPersonal development and wellbeing Expected standardInclusion Needs attentionLeadership and governance Needs attentionPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met
What the data says
Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College has no sixth form. Of the 126 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 49% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
15% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 33.2 against 46.1 across England and 44.6 in Cheshire West and Chester, with 17% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Languages are a small part of the curriculum here: entries in Spanish add up to 9% of the year group, and 8% of pupils entered the full EBacc set of subjects (England 41%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Cheshire West and Chester and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Cheshire West and Chester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 126 | 3,827 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 75% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 62% | 83% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 11% | 32% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 15% | 13% |
| — further education college | 49% | 34% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 10% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 15% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 10% | 4% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Cheshire West and Chester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 33.2 | 44.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 17% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 37% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 8% | 40% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.59 | 3.96 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 44% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 28.0 | 30.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 37.3 | 49.3 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 8% | 8% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 131 | 98% | 89% | 5% | 20% | 39% |
| Mathematics | 131 | 98% | 88% | 6% | 22% | 47% |
| English Literature | 131 | 98% | 86% | 3% | 21% | 39% |
| Combined Science | 110 | 83% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 29% |
| Geography | 66 | 50% | 41% | 6% | 25% | 36% |
| 3D Design | 51 | 38% | 2% | 14% | 16% | 98% |
| History | 47 | 35% | 41% | 11% | 26% | 26% |
| Graphic Communication | 25 | 19% | 1% | 24% | 23% | 80% |
| Spanish | 12 | 9% | 19% | 0% | 27% | 33% |
| Media Studies | 9 | 7% | 4% | 11% | 20% | 33% |
| Religious Studies | 9 | 7% | 31% | 22% | 32% | 89% |
| Chemistry | 8 | 6% | 23% | 13% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 8 | 6% | 23% | 0% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 8 | 6% | 23% | 0% | 46% | 100% |
| Polish | 7 | 5% | 1% | 43% | 84% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 6 | 5% | 9% | 50% | 28% | 100% |
| Dance | 5 | 4% | 1% | — | 27% | — |
| Statistics | 4 | 3% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 53 | — | — |
| Small Business Management | 42 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 25 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 21 | — | — |
| Animal Care (Non-Agricultural) | 17 | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | 14 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 14 | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | 13 | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | 7 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester
Chester International School
Studio schools · sixth form · 229 pupils
75% stayed in education · Attainment 8 34.5
Christleton High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,382 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.8
Ellesmere Port Church of England College
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 777 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.0
Hartford Church of England High School
Voluntary aided school · 1,102 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.3
Helsby High School
Community school · sixth form · 1,211 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.1
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.