The Byrchall High School

The Byrchall High School is performing well overall, having made significant strides since its previous inspection which rated it as requiring improvement. The leadership team has a clear and ambitious vision for school improvement, and this strategy is yielding positive results in terms of the quality of education provided to pupils. Academic progress is notable, especially in the key stage 4 curriculum. The school promotes a safe and supportive environment where pupils can thrive, and there are numerous extracurricular activities that foster personal development.

Strengths

• High expectations set by trustees, governors, and leaders.
• Well-designed and ambitious curriculum supports all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Pupils show good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning.
• Strong safeguarding culture ensures pupils feel safe.
• Effective identification of pupils' reading needs and encouragement of reading for pleasure.
• Active involvement of governors and trustees in supporting school leaders.

Areas for Improvement

• In a minority of subjects, some teachers do not ensure that learning builds securely on prior knowledge.

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 Byrchall High School attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.1% 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, 4.2% of pupils at The Byrchall 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 The Byrchall High School had 16.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.8% 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, 17.4% of pupils at The Byrchall High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.4% 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 Byrchall High School received £7,802 and spent £7,624 for each of its 1,076 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £318,000 (£296 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.

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• Secondary Schools

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What is The Byrchall High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Byrchall High School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was The Byrchall High School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Byrchall High School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does The Byrchall High School have?

The Byrchall High School has 1,138 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Byrchall High School cover?

The Byrchall High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Byrchall High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.8, and 38% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Byrchall High School?

The Byrchall High School is at Warrington Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire, WN4 9PQ.