Great Sankey High School
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Great Sankey High School is a converter academy in Warrington for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 2,051 pupils and room for 2,175. About 12 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 50 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Barrow Hall Lane, Great Sankey, Warrington, WA5 3AA01925 724118greatsankey.orgMr Dan Whieldon headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 29 March 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good 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
371 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 | Warrington | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 371 | 366 | 368 | 336 | 296 | 294 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 50.5 | 49.2 | 49.6 | 52.0 | 51.9 | 50.9 | 47.0 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.32 | -0.26 | +0.00 | +0.20 | -0.03 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 49% | 46% | 50% | 55% | 54% | 56% | 45% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 74% | 74% | 73% | 76% | 78% | 76% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.52 | 4.60 | 4.35 | 4.51 | 4.38 | 4.36 | 4.21 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 45% | 86% | 50% | 40% | 25% | 26% | 47% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 39.6 | 34.8 | 34.7 | 42.9 | 41.6 | 36.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 51.9 | 50.6 | 51.1 | 53.3 | 52.9 | 52.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 27.9 | 27.8 | 28.9 | 28.9 | 30.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 61.3 | 63.8 | 66.0 | 62.0 | 61.9 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 23 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: Computer Science (35% here, 56% across England), Design & Technology (30% here, 50% across England), Physical Education (42% here, 56% across England), French (46% here, 60% 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 | 369 | 23% | 55% | 79% | 53% | 1,318 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 369 | 20% | 65% | 81% | 54% | 714 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 359 | 22% | 64% | 81% | 58% | 960 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 283 | 5% | 36% | 66% | 36% | 1,433 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 194 | 16% | 50% | 70% | 51% | 1,442 of 3,116 |
| Religious Studies | 193 | 26% | 59% | 70% | 60% | 1,028 of 1,825 |
| History | 183 | 30% | 61% | 75% | 52% | 875 of 3,126 |
| Business | 137 | 18% | 58% | 74% | 51% | 600 of 1,806 |
| Spanish | 117 | 17% | 48% | 66% | 54% | 1,222 of 1,941 |
| Social Studies | 103 | 25% | 64% | 79% | 54% | 316 of 1,043 |
| Art and Design | 88 | 23% | 75% | 85% | 58% | 647 of 2,818 |
| Biology | 83 | 57% | 98% | 100% | 82% | 524 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 83 | 54% | 98% | 100% | 81% | 554 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 83 | 59% | 99% | 100% | 82% | 426 of 2,546 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 60 | 25% | 60% | 70% | 52% | 389 of 1,098 |
| Physical Education | 55 | 6% | 42% | 67% | 56% | 1,136 of 1,559 |
| French | 48 | 17% | 46% | 50% | 60% | 1,495 of 1,974 |
| Design & Technology | 44 | 2% | 30% | 36% | 50% | 1,166 of 1,478 |
| Computer Science | 29 | 17% | 35% | 52% | 56% | 1,484 of 1,861 |
| Other Modern Languages | 29 | 79% | 83% | 83% | 49% | 78 of 454 |
| Drama | 22 | 41% | 82% | 100% | 60% | 176 of 844 |
| Statistics | 22 | 55% | 73% | 86% | 51% | 173 of 375 |
| Music | 12 | 67% | 92% | 92% | 61% | – |
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
117 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 117 | 103 | 151 | 145 | 283 | 301 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 35.35 | 33.28 | 31.08 | 35.10 | 30.03 | 27.50 |
| Average A level grade | B- | C+ | C | B- | C | C- |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 37.26 | 35.61 | 33.23 | 34.72 | 29.89 | 27.41 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 29% | 16% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 5% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.16 | +0.17 | – | – | -0.35 | -0.25 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 30.71 | 29.51 | 27.80 | 31.65 | – | – |
| T levels: points per entry | 23.33 | 39.38 | 30.42 | – | – | – |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 98% | 96% | 96% | 98% | 93% | 91% |
A level subjects
20 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.
Strongest A levels
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. None of the gaps 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.
About 190 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (326 offers for 375 places).
| Entry | Places | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 375 | 326 | – all offered | LA |
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 (135), Specific learning difficulty (50), language and communications needs (31), Autistic spectrum disorder (29), Moderate learning difficulty (25), Vision impairment (10).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 2,051 | 2,087 | 2,084 | 2,124 | 2,118 | 2,087 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 11% | 10% | 8% | 9% | 7% | 6% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 18% | 17% | 15% | 11% | 8% | 5% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 11% | 9% | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.8% 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 | 7.2% | 8.8% | 8.9% | 8.8% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.1% | 5.8% | 6.0% | 6.4% | 4.0% | 3.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.1% | 3.0% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 18.2% | 25.5% | 26.3% | 28.1% | 13.2% | 10.7% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 8.8 | 20.9 | 23.6 | 15.2 | 9.2 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 368 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 85%, compared with 98% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 97% | 96% | 97% | 98% |
| Education | 91% | 90% | 89% | 95% |
| Apprenticeship | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| Work | 3% | 4% | 4% | 1% |
| Not in education, work or training | 2% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
After sixth form
Where the 144 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 86%, compared with 91% for everyone else.
Where the ones heading for university went
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 90% | 89% | 94% | – |
| Education | 51% | 41% | 49% | – |
| Apprenticeship | 9% | 11% | 14% | 2% |
| Work | 31% | 37% | 31% | – |
| Not in education, work or training | 8% | 8% | 4% | – |
Staff
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penketh High School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 1,058 | Good 2020 | 54 | Compare |
| St Gregory's Catholic High School | Roman Catholic | 1.8 miles | 1,214 | Good 2019 | 77 | Compare |
| Aldridge UTC Warrington | University technical college | 2.6 miles | 278 | No overall grade 2024 | 1 | Compare |
| Beamont Collegiate Academy | Academy | 3.1 miles | 890 | Good 2022 | 48 | Compare |
| St. Cuthbert's Catholic Academy | Academy | 3.4 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| The Sutton Academy | Academy | 3.4 miles | 1,441 | Report card 2026 | 33 | Compare |
| Wade Deacon High School | Academy | 3.5 miles | 1,658 | Outstanding 2022 | 85 | Compare |
| Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School | Roman Catholic | 3.8 miles | 1,337 | Good 2022 | 20 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Great Sankey High School with the 50 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 50 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 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Great Sankey 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton-on-Mersey School | Academy | 13.4 miles | 1,609 | Good 2024 | 76 | Compare |
| Wellington School | Academy | 13.5 miles | 1,536 | Good 2022 | 84 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 50 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 50% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 41 to 60. 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% | above | +0.08 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 371 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.10 | DfE progress measure; 371 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | +0.03 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.06 | 2024/25; 1,884 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well below | -0.16 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 371 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well above | +0.06 | 368 pupils |
| 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 Great Sankey High School a good school?
It is about average. Great Sankey High School scores 50 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 41 to 60, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Great Sankey High School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Great Sankey High School good at its last full inspection on 29 March 2023.
How good are Great Sankey High School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 49% 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 50.5, 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 Great Sankey High School have?
2,051 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 2,175 places, so it is 94% full.
Is Great Sankey High School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 190 places were empty in 2024/25 (8% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Great Sankey High School?
Pupils were in school 92.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 18% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Great Sankey High School?
The average class had 21.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 3% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Great Sankey High School have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B-. 20 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
- Barrow Hall Lane, Great Sankey, Warrington, WA5 3AA
- Telephone
- 01925 724118
- Website
- www.greatsankey.org
- Headteacher
- Mr Dan Whieldon
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Omega Multi-Academy Trust (7 schools)
- Local authority
- Warrington
- Ward
- Great Sankey North and Whittle Hall
- Constituency
- Warrington South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 2013 (academy converter)
- URN
- 139152 · LAESTAB 8774206 · UKPRN 10040008
- Formerly
- Great Sankey 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.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Warrington council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- 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.