Bishop Heber High School

Bishop Heber High School is a large, inclusive secondary school with a sixth form that is performing well overall. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well above average outcomes at the end of key stage 4, and they are very well prepared for their next steps. The school has a culture of high expectations and strong personal development, with pupils demonstrating deep subject knowledge, fluent use of subject-specific vocabulary, and exemplary attitudes to learning. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and free from discrimination.

Strengths

• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve well above average outcomes at key stage 4.
• Leaders are determined that all pupils succeed and accurately identify and address barriers to learning.
• Disadvantaged pupils benefit from innovative support such as a Year 7 residential trip and a bespoke summer school.
• Pupils with barriers to learning or wellbeing fully embrace the extensive extra-curricular programme.
• Support for looked-after children and young carers is highly effective, helping these pupils thrive.
• The highly inclusive environment fosters a great sense of belonging and high expectations.
• Personal development provision is carefully designed, responsive to local needs, and valued by pupils.
• Pupils demonstrate excellent conduct, kindness, and a strong understanding of fundamental British values.
• The comprehensive careers programme prepares pupils well for informed and ambitious future choices.
• Pupils behave extremely well, self-regulate effectively, and show exemplary attitudes to learning.
• Overall attendance rates are above national average and leaders act on absence patterns effectively.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious, and well ordered, with teachers who are experts in their subjects.
• Leaders act in pupils' best interests and have created an inclusive school where all pupils are supported.
• Governors are committed and knowledgeable, providing appropriate challenge to leaders.
• Staff feel valued, and leaders have established an evidence-based programme of professional learning.
• The sixth form is inclusive, widens access for students facing barriers, and students achieve well.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not yet consistently highly effective across all subjects, with some small pockets of inconsistency.
• A small number of teachers are still developing adaptive practice to support pupils with SEND consistently well.
• More precision is needed in identifying the best strategies to bring about improvement and ensure consistency in curriculum and teaching.
• Attendance for disadvantaged pupils is in line with the national average, and it is too soon to see the impact of leaders' strategies to improve it.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Bishop Heber High School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.1% of pupils at Bishop Heber High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Bishop Heber High School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.4% of pupils at Bishop Heber High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Bishop Heber High School received £7,392 and spent £7,409 for each of its 1,293 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £115,000 (£89 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Cheshire West And Chester · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

What is Bishop Heber High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bishop Heber High School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Bishop Heber High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bishop Heber High School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Bishop Heber High School have?

Bishop Heber High School has 1,293 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bishop Heber High School cover?

Bishop Heber High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Bishop Heber High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 54.6, and 65% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Bishop Heber High School?

Bishop Heber High School is at Chester Road, Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 8JD.