Wilmslow High School

Wilmslow High School has effectively maintained the standards set during its previous inspection, with a strong emphasis on academic achievement and a welcoming atmosphere for all students. The school's core value of 'be more' fosters a culture where pupils feel inspired, safe, and valued, enabling them to engage actively in a broad and balanced curriculum. Distinctively, the school has developed robust support for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring their full participation in school life.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy, safe, and valued in an inclusive culture.
• Strong academic ambition with a broad and balanced curriculum.
• High expectations for pupil behavior leading to polite and well-mannered students.
• Effective provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• A wealth of extracurricular opportunities fostering interests and leadership skills.
• Robust support for reading initiatives to enhance literacy across the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent assessment practices leading to gaps in knowledge not being identified.
• Attendance issues, particularly among disadvantaged pupils and some with SEND.

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 Wilmslow High School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.5% 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, 3.1% of pupils at Wilmslow High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Wilmslow High School had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.4% 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, 8.4% of pupils at Wilmslow High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 21 pupils.

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 Wilmslow High School received £7,658 and spent £7,532 for each of its 2,227 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £8,000 (£4 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 Wilmslow · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

What is Wilmslow High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wilmslow High School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Wilmslow High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wilmslow High School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Wilmslow High School have?

Wilmslow High School has 2,227 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wilmslow High School cover?

Wilmslow High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Wilmslow High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.1, and 52% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Wilmslow High School?

Wilmslow High School is at Holly Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 1LZ.