Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
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Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy is a sponsored academy in Ellesmere Port for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 950 pupils and room for 988. About 35 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 11 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 13% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Capenhurst Lane, Whitby, Ellesmere Port, CH65 7AQ0151 355 2373Mrs Lorraine Henderson headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 28 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 23 June 2021 | Schools into Special Measures Visit 3 | Requires improvement |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
170 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† | Cheshire West and Chester | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 170 | 161 | 173 | 161 | 132 | 122 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 36.9 | 40.5 | 37.4 | 39.7 | 43.0 | 41.2 | 45.0 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.47 | -0.55 | -0.68 | -0.24 | -0.35 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 21% | 28% | 26% | 30% | 29% | 21% | 42% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 47% | 55% | 50% | 52% | 58% | 43% | 63% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.16 | 3.57 | 3.30 | 3.59 | 3.44 | 3.32 | 3.98 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 36% | 39% | 38% | 63% | 19% | 20% | 40% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 32.1 | 29.9 | 28.3 | 32.2 | 30.1 | 33.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 39.6 | 43.8 | 41.4 | 43.3 | 47.2 | 43.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 22.9 | 22.9 | 28.2 | 20.8 | 24.4 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 57.8 | 52.7 | 59.9 | 51.6 | 54.5 | – | – |
† These results are for Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, the school this one replaced in April 2023. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 16 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: Religious Studies (25% here, 60% across England), Mathematics (26% here, 53% across England), Spanish (30% here, 54% across England), Physical Education (32% here, 56% 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 | 170 | 10% | 26% | 54% | 53% | 3,081 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 170 | 12% | 37% | 53% | 54% | 2,721 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 160 | 8% | 36% | 57% | 58% | 2,874 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 158 | 10% | 25% | 38% | 60% | 1,783 of 1,825 |
| Combined Science | 142 | 4% | 17% | 36% | 36% | 2,760 of 3,084 |
| History | 102 | 10% | 31% | 42% | 52% | 2,718 of 3,126 |
| Spanish | 60 | 13% | 30% | 43% | 54% | 1,696 of 1,941 |
| Art and Design | 47 | 15% | 66% | 92% | 58% | 1,056 of 2,818 |
| Geography | 46 | 13% | 30% | 59% | 51% | 2,600 of 3,116 |
| Physical Education | 28 | 11% | 32% | 57% | 56% | 1,314 of 1,559 |
| Business | 28 | 4% | 50% | 64% | 51% | 850 of 1,806 |
| Biology | 20 | 25% | 90% | 100% | 82% | 1,123 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 20 | 35% | 80% | 80% | 81% | 1,572 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 20 | 25% | 75% | 85% | 82% | 1,794 of 2,546 |
| Computer Science | 14 | 0% | 7% | 7% | 56% | – |
| Drama | 8 | 38% | 50% | 50% | 60% | – |
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.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
42 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Students | 42 | 39 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 28.23 | 31.24 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 30.77 | 31.95 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 8% | 3% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.20 | +0.61 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 25.58 | 31.43 |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 100% | 100% |
A level subjects
11 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
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. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
About 102 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up.
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 Cheshire West and Chester 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: emotional and mental health (69), Autistic spectrum disorder (42), Moderate learning difficulty (35), language and communications needs (21), Specific learning difficulty (14), Physical disability (8).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 950 | 969 | 952 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 34% | 34% | 31% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 10% | 8% | 8% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 16% | 15% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 6% | 5% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.0% 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 | 11.0% | 11.3% | 11.6% | 11.0% | 5.2% | 6.9% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.9% | 6.9% | 6.8% | 8.3% | 4.1% | 5.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 4.1% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 2.7% | 1.2% | 1.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 32.9% | 36.8% | 34.4% | 35.2% | 12.4% | 19.4% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 9.3 | 9.2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 4 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, the school this one replaced in April 2023. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellesmere Port Church of England College | Academy | 830 m | 777 | Good 2023 | 25 | Compare |
| The Whitby High School | Foundation | 870 m | 1,398 | Good 2022 | 17 | Compare |
| South Wirral High School | Academy | 3.9 miles | 1,019 | Good 2022 | – | Compare |
| Upton-by-Chester High School | Foundation | 4.3 miles | 1,728 | Not inspected | 69 | Compare |
| Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College | Foundation | 4.7 miles | 651 | Report card 2026 | 4 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy with the 46 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 46 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 46 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Heath School | Academy | 8.6 miles | 1,174 | No overall grade 2025 | 42 | 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: 7 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% | below | -0.19 | 2025 and 2024 results; 170 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well below | -0.36 | Ofsted report card, 0.4 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.19 | DfE progress measure; 170 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.15 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.08 | 2024/25; 913 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well below | -0.17 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 170 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 Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy a good school?
The figures are weak. Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy scores 11 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 13% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 7 to 16, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 28 April 2026 it rated teaching as needs attention, achievement as needs attention, behaviour and attendance as needs attention, leadership as as expected.
How good are Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 21% 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 36.9, 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 Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy have?
950 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 988 places, so it is 96% full.
Is Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 102 places were empty in 2024/25 (10% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
Pupils were in school 89.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 33% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy?
The average class had 18.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was C-. 11 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Capenhurst Lane, Whitby, Ellesmere Port, CH65 7AQ
- Telephone
- 0151 355 2373
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lorraine Henderson
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic, Diocese of Shrewsbury
- Multi-academy trust
- Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Academy Trust (16 schools)
- Local authority
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Ward
- Whitby Park
- Constituency
- Ellesmere Port and Bromborough
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2023 (new provision)
- URN
- 149631 · LAESTAB 8964010 · UKPRN 10092100
- Formerly
- Ellesmere Port Catholic 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.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 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.