Cheshire West and Chester schools in numbers

How Cheshire West and Chester's 183 schools compare with North West and England on every headline measure, with the council's rank out of the English councils that have data. Ranks run from best to worst for each measure (highest attendance first, lowest exclusions first, and so on).

Schools183open, all types

Pupils54,420on roll

Primary schools129

Secondary schools20

Primary schools in Cheshire West and Chester Secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester

Who the pupils are

Measure	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	England	Rank
Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 160 schools	20.9%	29.0%	26.3%	36thof 151
Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 159 schools	21.0%	29.8%	27.1%	33rdof 151
Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 160 schools	8.2%	16.7%	18.6%	127thof 151
Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 154 schools	13.2%	14.5%	14.5%	112thof 151
Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 154 schools	12.6%	12.7%	11.6%	63rdof 151

Classrooms and teachers

Measure	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	England	Rank
Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 141 schools	24.6	24.9	25.0	58thof 151
Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 141 schools	12.9%	11.5%	10.6%	118thof 151
Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 156 schools	18.2	19.1	19.0	33rdof 151
Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 146 schools	10.9%	13.5%	15.0%	6thof 151
Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 156 schools	£50,845	£51,081	£51,377	87thof 151
Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 136 schools	4.3	5.0	4.7	50thof 151

Attendance and behaviour

Measure	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	England	Rank
Attendance2024/25 · 148 schools	93.8%	93.7%	93.8%	75thof 151
Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 148 schools	15.5%	15.9%	15.8%	60thof 151
Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 148 schools	5.4	6.7	7.0	52ndof 151

Money

Measure	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	England	Rank
Spend per pupil2024/25 · 155 schools	£8,828	£9,291	£9,273	–
Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 155 schools	£4,168	£4,183	£4,229	77thof 151
Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 160 schools	4.6%	6.6%	8.3%	127thof 151
Schools in deficit2024/25 · 160 schools	25.0%	15.2%	14.1%	135thof 151

Results

Measure	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	England	Rank
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 20 schools	42.0%	42.3%	46.1%	106thof 150
Average GCSE score2024/25 · 20 schools	45.0	45.3	47.0	96thof 150
Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 115 schools	61.3%	61.3%	63.1%	106thof 151
Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 115 schools	6.1%	7.1%	8.3%	126thof 151

Ofsted, score and places

Measure	Cheshire West and Chester	North West	England	Rank
Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 147 schools	15%	15%	13%	39thof 151
Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 105 schools	97%	93%	94%	46thof 151
Scored above similar schoolsnow · 138 schools	36%	32%	35%	67thof 151
Places taken2024/25 · 140 schools	85.9%	88.5%	86.2%	83rdof 151
Academies and free schoolsnow · 174 schools	42%	38%	52%	102ndof 154
Free breakfast clubsnow · 174 schools	12.1%	14.6%	12.0%	77thof 154