North Cestrian School
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North Cestrian School is a free school in Altrincham for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 799 pupils, 44 more than it has places for. About 17 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 81 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 88% of the 50 schools most like it.
Dunham Road, Altrincham, WA14 4AJ0161 928 1856northcestrian.co.uk/start.htmlMr L R Bergin headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
148 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 | Trafford | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 148 | 153 | 137 | 123 | 69 | 48 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 54.2 | 55.0 | 49.9 | 52.0 | 49.6 | 51.0 | 58.9 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.49 | +0.08 | +0.32 | +0.02 | -0.12 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 60% | 56% | 50% | 59% | 46% | 63% | 65% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 86% | 74% | 74% | 81% | 80% | 81% | 80% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.56 | 4.76 | 4.44 | 4.75 | 4.26 | 4.38 | 5.34 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 19% | 19% | 26% | 37% | 17% | 27% | 51% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 42.6 | 38.6 | 40.2 | 46.5 | 46.3 | 44.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 57.2 | 58.6 | 52.3 | 53.1 | 50.0 | 52.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 34.4 | 24.8 | 32.7 | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 73.7 | 63.3 | 69.9 | 54.1 | 53.7 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 20 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: Food Preparation & Nutrition (30% here, 52% across England), Spanish (44% here, 54% 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 | 148 | 28% | 70% | 87% | 53% | 435 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 148 | 17% | 65% | 84% | 54% | 687 of 3,210 |
| Religious Studies | 146 | 37% | 66% | 75% | 60% | 776 of 1,825 |
| English Literature | 145 | 27% | 67% | 86% | 58% | 801 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 93 | 11% | 58% | 80% | 36% | 280 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 54 | 26% | 69% | 80% | 51% | 483 of 3,116 |
| Chemistry | 50 | 80% | 100% | 100% | 81% | 134 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 50 | 54% | 100% | 100% | 82% | 323 of 2,546 |
| Biology | 50 | 48% | 98% | 100% | 82% | 477 of 2,570 |
| Computer Science | 49 | 33% | 67% | 80% | 56% | 575 of 1,861 |
| Spanish | 46 | 24% | 44% | 72% | 54% | 1,365 of 1,941 |
| History | 41 | 32% | 56% | 66% | 52% | 1,168 of 3,126 |
| Social Studies | 30 | 20% | 50% | 63% | 54% | 607 of 1,043 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 30 | 0% | 30% | 50% | 52% | 913 of 1,098 |
| Business | 29 | 17% | 79% | 100% | 51% | 137 of 1,806 |
| Music | 25 | 24% | 68% | 88% | 61% | 203 of 395 |
| Other Modern Languages | 17 | 65% | 65% | 65% | 49% | – |
| Art and Design | 14 | 29% | 36% | 71% | 58% | – |
| Media / Film / TV | 13 | 23% | 62% | 77% | 55% | – |
| Statistics | 10 | 60% | 80% | 100% | 51% | – |
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, 2018
1 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Students | 1 | 17 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | – | 24.14 |
| Average A level grade | NE | D+ |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | – | 23.59 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | – | 8% |
| A level progressA level value added | – | -0.39 |
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.
The school is full, with 55 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 8% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
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 Trafford 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 (50), Autistic spectrum disorder (29), Specific learning difficulty (23), language and communications needs (18), Other difficulty or disability (5), Moderate learning difficulty (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 799 | 777 | 779 | 757 | 715 | 677 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 17% | 18% | 17% | 17% | 14% | 13% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 26% | 28% | 27% | 23% | 14% | 12% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 10% | 10% | 7% | 12% | 14% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.1% 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 | 7.9% | 8.1% | 7.7% | 6.8% | 4.1% | 5.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.4% | 5.8% | 5.6% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 4.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.5% | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 0.9% | 1.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 21.2% | 22.7% | 22.9% | 20.5% | 10.3% | 13.7% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 8.6 | 9.4 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 3.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 137 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 79%, compared with 95% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 92% | 93% | 95% | 99% |
| Education | 87% | 88% | 87% | 91% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| Work | 1% | 3% | 6% | 4% |
| Not in education, work or training | 4% | 5% | 5% | 1% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loreto Grammar School | Academy (grammar) | 90 m | 1,075 | Outstanding 2022 | 99 | Compare |
| Altrincham Grammar School for Girls | Academy (grammar) | 840 m | 1,381 | Outstanding 2022 | 99 | Compare |
| Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College | Roman Catholic | 1000 m | 1,638 | No overall grade 2025 | 57 | Compare |
| Altrincham Grammar School for Boys | Academy (grammar) | 0.8 miles | 1,432 | Outstanding 2022 | 100 | Compare |
| Wellington School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 1,536 | Good 2022 | 84 | Compare |
| Altrincham College | Academy | 1.3 miles | 973 | Report card 2026 | 57 | Compare |
| Saint Ambrose College | Academy (grammar) | 1.9 miles | 1,096 | Report card 2025 | 99 | Compare |
| Ashton-on-Mersey School | Academy | 2.3 miles | 1,609 | Good 2024 | 76 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares North Cestrian 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.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 81 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 81% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 75 to 85. 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 | +0.13 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 148 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 0% | no data | – | |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | above | +0.20 | DfE progress measure; 148 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.06 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.04 | 2024/25; 815 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well above | +0.14 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 148 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | +0.01 | 137 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 North Cestrian School a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. North Cestrian School scores 81 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 88% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 75 to 85, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
How good are North Cestrian School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 60% 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 54.2, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does North Cestrian School have?
799 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 755 places, so it is 106% full.
Is North Cestrian School oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 55 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at North Cestrian School?
Pupils were in school 92.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 21% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at North Cestrian School?
The average class had 22.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 3% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does North Cestrian School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 92% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Dunham Road, Altrincham, WA14 4AJ
- Telephone
- 0161 928 1856
- Website
- www.northcestrian.co.uk/start.html
- Headteacher
- Mr L R Bergin
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- The Hamblin Education Trust (2 schools)
- Local authority
- Trafford
- Ward
- Altrincham
- Constituency
- Altrincham and Sale West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 5 September 2016 (academy free school)
- URN
- 143104 · LAESTAB 3586003 · UKPRN 10056981
- Formerly
- North Cestrian Grammar 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.