School Chooser

Castle Hill High School

Special · ages 11-18MixedCouncil350 pupilsSixth formStockport
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedOutstandingConfirmed by Ofsted, July 2023
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance90.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families44%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull350 pupils, 274 places
Pupils per teacher8.2School workforce census

Castle Hill High School is a council special school in Stockport for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 350 pupils, 76 more than it has places for. About 44 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.

The Fairway, Offerton, Stockport, SK2 5DS0161 285 3925castlehill.stockport.sch.ukMrs Anna Hudson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 4 July 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

56 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score3.3
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.71In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 5.35.320182019: 3.43.420192022: 3.33.320222023: 3.13.120232024: 1.71.720242025: 3.33.32025
Since 2018: -2.0
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018StockportEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11565051474237
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 83.31.73.13.33.45.347.346.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.71-1.74-1.72-1.79-1.60
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%47%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%3%66%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.130.060.100.070.070.154.234.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%46%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged3.51.43.23.02.94.1
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged3.22.03.13.54.46.7
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers1.62.63.63.44.0

Subjects

Results came out for 4 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.

Subjects that did worse than the England average: English Language (12% here, 54% across England).

What is taught here
SciencesBiology12

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
12%England 54%
Mathematics14 entries
0%England 53%
Biology12 entries
0%England 82%
Art and Design10 entries
10%England 58%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
English Language176%12%18%54%
Mathematics140%0%14%53%
Biology120%0%17%82%
Art and Design100%10%10%58%

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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
3.53.2
Gap 0.3England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
4.71.1
Gap 3.6England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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

Admissions policy not published.

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 Stockport council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll350Census January 2026
Places274128% full
Pupils from low-income families43%44% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%350 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)40%£126,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls263 / 87
White British pupils88%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Stockport with moderate learning difficulties provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (135), language and communications needs (67), Moderate learning difficulty (55), emotional and mental health (25), Severe learning difficulty (21), Physical disability (13).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll350341341324307292
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals43%40%37%35%37%35%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%4%5%4%5%6%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance90.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school30.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils26.12024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission2.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence9.9%9.4%8.9%10.2%12.1%6.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.8%7.5%6.9%8.1%10.2%4.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.2%1.8%2.1%2.1%2.0%2.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence30.9%31.7%29.8%34.8%40.1%22.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate26.119.95.32.90.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 51 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training90%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 86%, compared with 93% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training90%94%97%100%
Education90%94%89%98%
Apprenticeship0%0%3%0%
Work0%0%5%2%
Not in education, work or training6%4%3%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers42.8full-time equivalent, 47 people
Pupils per teacher8.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants55.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,798
Teachers who left in the year8%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.52024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£17,977England £32,258. Total £6.1m
Income per pupil£18,851England £32,367. Total £6.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£9,098England £11,930
Money in reserve10%A healthy amount put by: £646k, £1,895 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£298kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£17,977spent per pupil

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

Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£305,000Stockport
Nearest bus stop420 mSt John's Church, 5 stops within 500 m

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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Fairway Primary SchoolCouncil120 m236Good 202335Compare
Lisburne SchoolAcademy130 m222Outstanding 2023Compare
St Philip's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy520 m166Good 2022Compare
Dial Park Primary SchoolAcademy810 m350Good 20237Compare
Bredbury Green Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles237Good 202487Compare
Warren Wood Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles411Good 202416Compare
Werneth SchoolAcademy0.9 miles925Report card 20263Compare
Banks Lane Junior SchoolCouncil1.0 miles358Good 202051Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Castle Hill High School a good school?

Castle Hill High School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in July 2023.

What is Castle Hill High School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Castle Hill High School outstanding at its last full inspection on 4 July 2023.

How good are Castle Hill High School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% 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 3.3, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does Castle Hill High School have?

350 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 274 places, so it is 128% full.

What is attendance like at Castle Hill High School?

Pupils were in school 90.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 31% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Castle Hill High School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for moderate learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Castle Hill High School have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
The Fairway, Offerton, Stockport, SK2 5DS
Telephone
0161 285 3925
Website
www.castlehill.stockport.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Anna Hudson
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Stockport
Ward
Offerton
Constituency
Hazel Grove
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
106172 · LAESTAB 3567508 · UKPRN 10015167

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from