North Cestrian School

North Cestrian School is performing well, demonstrating effective action to uphold the standards from its previous inspection, which rated it as good. The school boasts a curriculum that is broad and ambitious, with a strong emphasis on character development through initiatives like the Cestrian Way. Students take pride in their learning environment, exhibiting excellent behavior and embracing the school's values. They benefit from various leadership opportunities and enjoy a sense of community through cultural celebrations. Notably, there is a commitment to personal development that cultivates confident and resilient individuals prepared for future challenges. While the overall performance of the school is commendable, there are some areas of concern, particularly regarding the reading curriculum. A small number of students, including those disadvantaged, struggle with reading due to insufficient support, which affects their learning in other subjects. Furthermore, the school's processes for evaluating its effectiveness are not clearly defined, hindering its ability to fully understand its strengths and areas needing improvement. Addressing these issues will be vital for North Cestrian School to continue its trajectory of success.

Strengths

• Strong character development program through the Cestrian Way.
• Pupils demonstrate high expectations for academic achievement.
• Calm and purposeful atmosphere for learning.
• Teachers design effective learning activities and check pupils' understanding regularly.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with increased uptake of modern foreign languages.
• Numerous leadership opportunities for students.
• Strong focus on personal development and high aspirations supported by effective careers guidance.

Areas for Improvement

• Reading curriculum is still in development, affecting some pupils' reading support.
• Ineffective monitoring processes for evaluating school strategies.

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 North Cestrian School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.2% 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, 5.9% of pupils at North Cestrian 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 North Cestrian School had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.2% 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, 10.5% of pupils at North Cestrian School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.5% 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 North Cestrian School received £7,695 and spent £7,681 for each of its 778 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £320,000 (-£411 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of The Hamblin Education Trust, income was £7,210 and spending £7,172 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 Altrincham · Trafford local authority: places and applications

North Cestrian School is part of The Hamblin Education Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Altrincham

What is North Cestrian School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for North Cestrian School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was North Cestrian School last inspected by Ofsted?

North Cestrian School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does North Cestrian School have?

North Cestrian School has 799 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Cestrian School cover?

North Cestrian School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are North Cestrian School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.9, and 58% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is North Cestrian School?

North Cestrian School is at Dunham Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 4AJ.