Great Sankey High School

Great Sankey High School remains a good school, showcasing a positive environment where pupils feel safe and happy. Leaders have successfully transformed the school culture by raising expectations for behavior, resulting in respectful relationships between staff and pupils. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed, enabling all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. Pupils benefit from a variety of experiences that enhance their learning, contributing to a strong sense of community within the school.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and happy at school.
• Strong relationships exist between staff and pupils.
• Well-organized curriculum supports effective learning.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge.
• Pupils with SEND achieve well due to well-designed support.
• Leaders foster a community spirit among students.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements are in place.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not identify misconceptions quickly enough, leading to gaps in learning.
• A small minority of pupils do not behave as expected during social times.

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 Great Sankey High School attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.2% 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, 3.4% of pupils at Great Sankey High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Great Sankey High School had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 12.4% of pupils at Great Sankey High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.1% 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 2023–24 Great Sankey High School received £7,120 and spent £7,012 for each of its 2,084 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £999,000 (£479 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Omega Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,073 and spending £7,262 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 Warrington · Warrington local authority: places and applications

Great Sankey High School is part of Omega Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Park Road Community Primary School Warrington
• Chapelford Village Primary School Warrington
• Westbrook Old Hall Primary School Warrington
• Burtonwood Community Primary School Warrington
• Bradshaw Primary School Warrington
• Alsop High School Liverpool

What is Great Sankey High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Sankey High School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Great Sankey High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Sankey High School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Great Sankey High School have?

Great Sankey High School has 2,051 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Sankey High School cover?

Great Sankey High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Great Sankey High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.9, and 50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Great Sankey High School?

Great Sankey High School is at Barrow Hall Lane, Great Sankey, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 3AA.