Wade Deacon High School

Wade Deacon High School has been judged as outstanding in all areas during its first inspection under the current framework. The school has a strong commitment to its educational values, which are embraced by the pupils, leading to exemplary behaviour and high levels of happiness and confidence among students. The leadership team is dedicated to providing an ambitious curriculum that supports all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), allowing them to achieve exceptionally well. The school's pastoral support is also highly effective, ensuring that any issues, including bullying, are addressed promptly.

Strengths

• Pupils are fully engaged and committed to the school's values.
• Exceptional quality of education that provides a firm foundation for future learning.
• Strong pastoral support and effective management of bullying.
• Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Rich and ambitious curriculum that includes a broad range of subjects.
• Teachers deliver curriculum content expertly with strong subject knowledge.
• Excellent use of assessment to address misconceptions in learning.
• High-quality reading support for pupils to ensure they access the full curriculum.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements and close links with external agencies.
• Impartial careers advice and guidance available to 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 Wade Deacon High School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.4% 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, 5.4% of pupils at Wade Deacon High School 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 Wade Deacon High School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.0% 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, 10.3% of pupils at Wade Deacon High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% 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 Wade Deacon High School received £8,292 and spent £8,090 for each of its 1,618 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,609,000 (£994 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Wade Deacon Trust, income was £9,213 and spending £8,949 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 Widnes · Halton local authority: places and applications

Wade Deacon High School is part of Wade Deacon Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Widnes Academy Widnes
• Oakdene Primary Academy Prescot
• The Grange School Runcorn
• Weston Point Primary Academy Runcorn
• Whiston Willis Primary Academy Prescot
• Halewood Academy Knowsley
• Yew Tree Primary Academy Knowsley
• Sylvester Primary Academy Liverpool
• Hillside High School Bootle

What is Wade Deacon High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wade Deacon High School is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Wade Deacon High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wade Deacon High School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Wade Deacon High School have?

Wade Deacon High School has 1,658 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wade Deacon High School cover?

Wade Deacon High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Wade Deacon High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.2, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Wade Deacon High School?

Wade Deacon High School is at Birchfield Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 7TD.