Carr Hill High School
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Carr Hill High School is a sponsored academy in Preston for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 790 pupils and room for 899. About 26 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 11 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.
Royal Avenue, Kirkham, Preston, PR4 2ST01772 682008carrhillschool.comMr Ben Layzell headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 12 March 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
157 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024† | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 157 | 198 | 165 | 182 | 189 | 190 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 43.5 | 42.6 | 43.9 | 42.6 | 44.2 | 42.1 | 46.0 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.35 | -0.43 | -0.48 | -0.61 | -0.61 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 40% | 38% | 37% | 31% | 31% | 34% | 44% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 61% | 58% | 61% | 52% | 59% | 56% | 65% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.70 | 3.63 | 3.81 | 3.62 | 3.86 | 3.66 | 4.04 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 23% | 26% | 32% | 32% | 43% | 35% | 35% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 38.0 | 30.0 | 30.6 | 35.5 | 32.5 | 35.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 45.4 | 46.3 | 49.3 | 45.2 | 47.3 | 43.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 25.4 | 24.7 | 28.5 | 18.8 | 22.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 60.4 | 63.0 | 68.3 | 56.4 | 52.6 | – | – |
† These results are for Carr Hill High School, the school this one replaced in September 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 18 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Religious Studies (35% here, 60% across England), Design & Technology (31% here, 50% across England), English Literature (39% here, 58% across England), Food Preparation & Nutrition (38% here, 52% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 155 | 16% | 50% | 70% | 53% | 1,658 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 155 | 13% | 46% | 65% | 54% | 2,136 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 150 | 6% | 39% | 59% | 58% | 2,740 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 149 | 8% | 35% | 44% | 60% | 1,672 of 1,825 |
| Combined Science | 124 | 10% | 42% | 61% | 36% | 985 of 3,084 |
| History | 95 | 16% | 41% | 46% | 52% | 2,180 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 49 | 14% | 41% | 49% | 51% | 2,068 of 3,116 |
| Art and Design | 47 | 34% | 79% | 92% | 58% | 519 of 2,818 |
| Physical Education | 46 | 15% | 57% | 74% | 56% | 779 of 1,559 |
| Physics | 27 | 33% | 93% | 100% | 82% | 948 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 27 | 22% | 96% | 100% | 81% | 702 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 27 | 19% | 100% | 100% | 82% | 338 of 2,570 |
| French | 25 | 4% | 52% | 76% | 60% | 1,323 of 1,974 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 24 | 21% | 38% | 54% | 52% | 805 of 1,098 |
| Computer Science | 23 | 17% | 70% | 83% | 56% | 516 of 1,861 |
| Design & Technology | 16 | 19% | 31% | 56% | 50% | – |
| Spanish | 9 | 11% | 33% | 33% | 54% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 6 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
420 places were empty (34% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Lancashire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (27), language and communications needs (26), emotional and mental health (23), Moderate learning difficulty (17), Other difficulty or disability (11), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (11).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 790 | 841 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 27% | 25% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 5% | 6% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 17% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.3% | 10.2% | 9.6% | 9.1% | 5.1% | 5.8% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.0% | 6.3% | 5.1% | 5.8% | 3.4% | 2.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.3% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 3.4% | 1.7% | 2.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 26.0% | 27.6% | 28.0% | 28.8% | 13.2% | 15.2% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 17.6 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Carr Hill High School, the school this one replaced in September 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham | Roman Catholic | 4.4 miles | 817 | No overall grade 2025 | 55 | Compare |
| Ashton Community Science College | Council | 4.8 miles | 837 | Good 2023 | 48 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Carr Hill High School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Carr Hill High School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longridge High School | Academy | 11.1 miles | 810 | Requires improvement 2021 | 23 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 11 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 11% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 8 to 16. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | -0.08 | 2025 results; 157 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well below | -0.51 | Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.14 | Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 157 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | -0.02 | 2024/25; 899 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.07 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 157 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Carr Hill High School a good school?
The figures are weak. Carr Hill High School scores 11 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 10% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 8 to 16, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Carr Hill High School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Carr Hill High School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 12 March 2024.
How good are Carr Hill High School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 40% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 43.5, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Carr Hill High School have?
790 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 899 places, so it is 88% full.
Is Carr Hill High School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 420 places were empty in 2024/25 (34% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Carr Hill High School?
Pupils were in school 90.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Carr Hill High School?
The average class had 22.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 14% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Carr Hill High School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Royal Avenue, Kirkham, Preston, PR4 2ST
- Telephone
- 01772 682008
- Website
- www.carrhillschool.com
- Headteacher
- Mr Ben Layzell
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Education Partnership Trust (9 schools)
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Ward
- Kirkham
- Constituency
- Fylde
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2024 (new provision)
- URN
- 150966 · LAESTAB 8884037 · UKPRN 10095473
- Formerly
- Carr Hill High School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.