Bishop Heber High School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,293 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 53.8
Academy sponsor led
The Winsford Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 945of 1,312 places
- Free school meals
- 43.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 190
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 15 July 2025Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registrations: Woodford Lodge High School (URN 111411, until 1 September 2010); The Verdin High School (URN 111412, until 1 September 2010).
What the data says
The Winsford Academy has no sixth form. Of the 178 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 7% moved to a sixth form college, 62% to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 30.6 against 46.1 across England and 44.6 in Cheshire West and Chester, with 14% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Business Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 44% of the year group took it, against 18% of pupils across England.
Languages are a small part of the curriculum here: entries in Spanish and French add up to 14% of the year group, and 14% 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 | The Winsford Academy | Cheshire West and Chester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 178 | 3,827 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 85% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 72% | 83% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 2% | 32% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 7% | 15% | 13% |
| — further education college | 62% | 34% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 8% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 6% | 4% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Winsford Academy | Cheshire West and Chester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 30.6 | 44.6 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 14% | 42% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 29% | 63% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 14% | 40% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.54 | 3.96 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 46% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 23.2 | 30.3 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 36.7 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 190 | 100% | 88% | 5% | 22% | 41% |
| English Language | 190 | 100% | 89% | 5% | 20% | 37% |
| English Literature | 165 | 87% | 86% | 5% | 21% | 39% |
| Combined Science | 125 | 66% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 19% |
| Geography | 99 | 52% | 41% | 3% | 25% | 29% |
| History | 98 | 52% | 41% | 5% | 26% | 21% |
| Business Studies | 84 | 44% | 18% | 1% | 20% | 13% |
| Biology | 59 | 31% | 23% | 12% | 45% | 53% |
| Physics | 56 | 29% | 23% | 7% | 46% | 52% |
| Chemistry | 56 | 29% | 23% | 13% | 47% | 59% |
| Fine Art | 39 | 21% | 9% | 18% | 28% | 56% |
| Physical Education | 38 | 20% | 11% | 3% | 24% | 21% |
| Photography | 29 | 15% | 6% | 3% | 19% | 55% |
| Spanish | 26 | 14% | 19% | 19% | 27% | 69% |
| Computer Science | 22 | 12% | 13% | 0% | 30% | 18% |
| Dance | 18 | 9% | 1% | 17% | 27% | 67% |
| Music | 14 | 7% | 5% | 14% | 33% | 57% |
| Drama | 12 | 6% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 50% |
| Design and Technology | 10 | 5% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 0% |
| Statistics | 3 | 2% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
| French | 1 | 1% | 18% | — | 29% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 51 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 44 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 24 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 10 | — | — |
| Personal Health | 1 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester
Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College
Foundation school · 651 pupils
62% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.2
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
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.