Bridgewater High School

Bridgewater High School, recently inspected for the first time as an academy, demonstrates good overall effectiveness across key areas including education quality, behavior, personal development, and leadership. The school is characterized by a welcoming environment, high expectations, and a successful curriculum improvement strategy. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are reported to be happy, safe, and engaged in a wide range of activities, cultivating respect and kindness amongst peers. The leadership places a strong emphasis on pupil well-being and equips them well for future life in modern Britain.

Strengths

• High expectations of pupil behavior and achievement.
• Welcoming and friendly school environment.
• Successful curriculum development that aids pupil learning.
• Strong emphasis on reading support and engagement.
• Effective management of pupil behavior leading to a calm atmosphere.
• Extensive array of clubs and extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Low proportion of pupils studying the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects.
• Inconsistencies in curriculum delivery in some subjects.
• Some staff not effectively using information to support pupils 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 Bridgewater High School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.9% 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, 4.5% of pupils at Bridgewater 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 Bridgewater High School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.0% 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, 9.0% of pupils at Bridgewater High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 25 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 2024–25 Bridgewater High School received £7,265 and spent £7,246 for each of its 1,675 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £959,000 (£572 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of The Challenge Academy Trust, income was £7,634 and spending £7,638 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

Bridgewater High School is part of The Challenge Academy Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Broomfields Junior School Warrington
• Priestley College Warrington
• Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School Warrington
• Appleton Thorn Primary School Warrington
• Beamont Collegiate Academy Warrington
• Padgate Academy Warrington
• Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School Warrington
• Great Sankey Primary School Warrington
• Penketh High School Warrington
• Dallam Community Primary School Warrington

What is Bridgewater High School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Bridgewater High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bridgewater High School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Bridgewater High School have?

Bridgewater High School has 1,683 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bridgewater High School cover?

Bridgewater High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Bridgewater High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 55.0, and 60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Bridgewater High School?

Bridgewater High School is at Broomfields Road, Appleton, Warrington, Cheshire, WA4 3AE.