The Winsford Academy

The Winsford Academy is a secondary comprehensive in the Halliard Trust with a new principal appointed in September 2024 and substantial recent changes to staffing and governance. Inspectors found the quality of education and behaviour and attitudes to be inadequate, while personal development and leadership and management require improvement; safeguarding is effective. The trust and new interim executive board have improved support and challenge and helped stabilise staffing and leadership, but these changes have not yet made enough difference for pupils. Pupils now study a broader key stage 4 curriculum and the school has redesigned curriculum content so knowledge is ordered over time. However, delivery is weak across most subjects: staff expectations are often too low, activities and assessment do not help pupils learn securely, and most pupils underachieve. Support for pupils with SEND is not applied consistently, and older pupils who struggle with reading are not well served. Behaviour has improved in some respects, with calmer classrooms and fewer truancy incidents, but behaviour management is inconsistent, derogatory language and unkind behaviour remain concerns, and attendance is stubbornly high, especially for pupils with SEND. Personal development is improving, including PSHE and stronger key stage 4 careers work, though Year 8 and 9 careers opportunities are limited and the school does not meet provider access legislation. Extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities are available. Staff generally appreciate workload and wellbeing support and are increasingly committed to improvement.

Strengths

• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governance has been strengthened by the new interim executive board.
• Trust support has helped stabilise staffing and strengthen leadership.
• The curriculum has been redesigned so subject content builds over time.
• Pupils study a wider breadth of subjects at key stage 4.
• Reading is a high priority and support for younger pupils who struggle is improving.
• Behaviour work has begun to produce calmer classrooms and fewer truancy incidents.
• Attendance strategies are strengthening and beginning to have a positive impact.
• Personal development is improving, including PSHE covering relationships, mental health and safety.
• Careers education has been strengthened in key stage 4.
• Pupils have access to enrichment such as cheerleading, sport, Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the 10 pledge.
• Most staff appreciate workload and wellbeing support and are increasingly committed to change.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery is weak across most subjects, so pupils do not build knowledge well over time.
• Staff often have low expectations of the quality and depth of pupils' work.
• Many staff lack expertise to design learning activities that help pupils learn subject content well.
• Assessment is not used well enough to identify gaps and misconceptions quickly.
• Support for pupils with SEND is not applied consistently, limiting their access to the curriculum.
• Older pupils who struggle with reading do not receive enough well-tailored support.
• Behaviour management is inconsistent and off-task or inattentive behaviour often goes unchallenged.
• Derogatory language and unkind behaviour are not addressed effectively enough, affecting pupils' confidence and experience.
• Attendance remains stubbornly high, particularly for pupils with SEND.
• Year 8 and 9 pupils do not receive sufficient careers encounters or information about technical education and apprenticeships.
• The school does not meet the provider access legislation.
• Entrenched negative attitudes to learning remain among many pupils.

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 The Winsford Academy attended 83.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 45.4% 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, 22.9% of pupils at The Winsford Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 The Winsford Academy had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.8% 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, 17.6% of pupils at The Winsford Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.1% 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 2024–25 The Winsford Academy received £10,009 and spent £9,726 for each of its 1,023 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £744,000 (£728 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Halliard Trust, income was £7,664 and spending £7,704 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

The Winsford Academy is part of Halliard Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Eaton Bank Academy Congleton
• Nether Alderley Primary School Macclesfield
• Alderley Edge Community Primary School Alderley Edge
• Gawsworth Primary School Macclesfield
• Whirley Primary School Macclesfield
• Broken Cross Primary Academy and Nursery Macclesfield
• The Fallibroome Academy Macclesfield
• Upton Priory School Macclesfield
• Marlborough Primary School Macclesfield
• Adlington Primary School Macclesfield

What is The Winsford Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Winsford Academy is Inadequate, from an inspection in November 2025.

When was The Winsford Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Winsford Academy was last inspected in November 2025.

How many pupils does The Winsford Academy have?

The Winsford Academy has 945 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Winsford Academy cover?

The Winsford Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Winsford Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 32.0, and 19% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Winsford Academy?

The Winsford Academy is at Grange Lane, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 2BT.