Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School
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Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in Widnes for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 1,337 pupils and room for 1,677. About 41 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 20 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Highfield Road, Widnes, WA8 7DW0151 424 2139saintspeterandpaul.halton.sch.ukMrs Louise McComas headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 6 July 2022 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.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
215 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 | Halton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 215 | 281 | 220 | 268 | 252 | 210 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 41.4 | 39.9 | 40.4 | 45.7 | 47.9 | 44.1 | 41.1 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.61 | -0.62 | -0.26 | -0.10 | -0.56 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 33% | 32% | 30% | 44% | 39% | 27% | 36% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 62% | 56% | 55% | 63% | 59% | 55% | 57% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.36 | 3.26 | 3.20 | 3.76 | 3.94 | 3.53 | 3.47 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 17% | 12% | 17% | 12% | 31% | 34% | 20% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 34.9 | 31.3 | 33.0 | 37.0 | 38.8 | 34.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 45.8 | 46.1 | 46.0 | 50.7 | 53.6 | 49.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 24.2 | 21.3 | 27.8 | 17.1 | 19.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 54.5 | 56.8 | 67.4 | 61.7 | 54.8 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 17 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 (17% here, 60% across England), History (23% here, 52% across England), Physics (60% here, 82% across England), Geography (29% here, 51% 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 | 212 | 7% | 39% | 70% | 53% | 2,529 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 212 | 11% | 45% | 62% | 54% | 2,217 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 200 | 14% | 52% | 71% | 58% | 1,923 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 194 | 3% | 17% | 28% | 60% | 1,817 of 1,825 |
| Combined Science | 162 | 3% | 20% | 46% | 36% | 2,579 of 3,084 |
| History | 94 | 6% | 23% | 34% | 52% | 2,978 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 82 | 11% | 29% | 39% | 51% | 2,645 of 3,116 |
| Art and Design | 57 | 14% | 61% | 81% | 58% | 1,274 of 2,818 |
| French | 54 | 15% | 57% | 72% | 60% | 1,173 of 1,974 |
| Physics | 42 | 12% | 60% | 81% | 82% | 2,226 of 2,546 |
| Business | 42 | 26% | 57% | 71% | 51% | 613 of 1,806 |
| Biology | 37 | 24% | 65% | 84% | 82% | 2,131 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 36 | 14% | 72% | 81% | 81% | 1,881 of 2,537 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 27 | 7% | 37% | 56% | 52% | 816 of 1,098 |
| Drama | 20 | 20% | 70% | 95% | 60% | 329 of 844 |
| Music | 14 | 14% | 57% | 71% | 61% | – |
| Computer Science | 9 | 22% | 44% | 67% | 56% | – |
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, 2019
113 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 113 | 142 | 176 | 168 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 27.93 | 26.56 | 30.15 | 30.00 |
| Average A level grade | C- | C- | C | C |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 29.20 | 25.58 | 31.38 | 32.65 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 0% | 0% | 3% | 9% |
| A level progressA level value added | -0.18 | -0.73 | -0.30 | -0.20 |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 78% | 98% | 94% | – |
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
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.
376 places were empty (22% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
The last child to get a place lived 5.2 miles away in 2026, 4.5 miles away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
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. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 5.2 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 280 | 267 | 697 | 281 | 5.2 miles | LA |
| 2025 Secondary | 280 | 268 | 653 | 263 | – all offered | LA |
| 2024 Secondary | – | 241 | 626 | – | 4.5 miles | LA |
The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 10 pupils, for autism.
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 Halton with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (100), language and communications needs (76), Moderate learning difficulty (55), Specific learning difficulty (36), Physical disability (9), Hearing impairment (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,337 | 1,302 | 1,307 | 1,282 | 1,280 | 1,275 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 41% | 41% | 40% | 40% | 37% | 35% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 7% | 6% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 9% | 6% | 3% | 10% | 9% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.7% 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 | 10.3% | 10.0% | 10.3% | 10.2% | 6.5% | 6.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.6% | 4.2% | 4.7% | 5.8% | 5.2% | 3.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 5.7% | 5.8% | 5.6% | 4.4% | 1.3% | 3.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 29.6% | 31.5% | 27.8% | 28.7% | 16.8% | 16.8% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 21.3 | 34.9 | 24.8 | 4.4 | 6.4 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 220 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 93%, compared with 96% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 95% | 93% | 95% | 94% |
| Education | 88% | 87% | 87% | 88% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 3% | 6% | 3% |
| Work | 1% | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| Not in education, work or training | 3% | 6% | 4% | 5% |
After sixth form
Where the 72 pupils who left in 2016/17 were a year later.
Where the ones heading for university went
Among students from low-income families, 47% went on to degree-level study or training.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wade Deacon High School | Academy | 420 m | 1,658 | Outstanding 2022 | 85 | Compare |
| Ormiston Chadwick Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 884 | Good 2024 | 28 | Compare |
| Rainhill High School | Academy | 2.7 miles | 1,535 | Good 2023 | 47 | Compare |
| The Grange School | Academy | 2.9 miles | 1,200 | Good 2022 | 12 | Compare |
| The Heath School | Academy | 3.4 miles | 1,174 | No overall grade 2025 | 42 | Compare |
| Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy | Academy | 3.5 miles | 730 | Requires improvement 2024 | 1 | Compare |
| Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy | Academy | 3.5 miles | 332 | No overall grade 2025 | 9 | Compare |
| The Sutton Academy | Academy | 3.7 miles | 1,441 | Report card 2026 | 33 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School with the 47 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 47 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 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Saints Peter and Paul Catholic 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College | Church of England | 12.8 miles | 1,365 | Report card 2026 | 40 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 20 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 20% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 15 to 26. 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 | -0.15 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 215 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 17% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 4.2 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well below | -0.25 | DfE progress measure; 215 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.05 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.06 | 2024/25; 1,371 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.09 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 215 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | above | +0.02 | 220 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 Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School a good school?
The figures are weak. Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School scores 20 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 15 to 26, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School good at its last full inspection on 6 July 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 33% 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 41.4, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School have?
1,337 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,677 places, so it is 80% full.
Is Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 5.2 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
What is attendance like at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School?
Pupils were in school 89.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 30% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School?
The average class had 24.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 29% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for autism. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Highfield Road, Widnes, WA8 7DW
- Telephone
- 0151 424 2139
- Website
- www.saintspeterandpaul.halton.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Louise McComas
- Type of school
- Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Liverpool
- Local authority
- Halton
- Ward
- Highfield
- Constituency
- Widnes and Halewood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 111457 · LAESTAB 8764625 · UKPRN 10005639
- Formerly
- St Joseph's RC High School, Saints Fisher and More 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, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Halton council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2024, 2025, 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.