Middlewich High School

Middlewich High School is performing well overall, with a Good rating across multiple domains. The school has demonstrated strong leadership and a commitment to providing a high-quality education, resulting in increased academic achievement among students, including those with special educational needs. However, there are areas that require further attention, particularly regarding student behavior and the effectiveness of curriculum delivery in certain subjects. The school is on an upward trajectory, having undergone significant improvements since becoming an academy in December 2021.

Strengths

• Leaders have created an ambitious academic culture.
• Pupils achieve well, including those with special educational needs.
• Strong subject expertise among teachers enhances pupil learning.
• Effective support systems are in place for pupils' behavior.
• A comprehensive personal development curriculum engages pupils.
• High-quality training opportunities align with leaders' priorities.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not consistently regulate their behavior, disrupting learning.
• A few subjects still have teachers refining their curriculum delivery.
• A small number of older pupils struggle with reading, impacting their wider curriculum access.

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 Middlewich High School attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 25.3% 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, 7.7% of pupils at Middlewich High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Middlewich High School had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2023–24, 35.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 16.7%).

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, 15.0% of pupils at Middlewich High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 8.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 14 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 Middlewich High School received £10,072 and spent £9,999 for each of its 677 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £296,000 (£437 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of The Sir John Brunner Foundation, income was £7,363 and spending £7,443 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 Middlewich · Cheshire East local authority: places and applications

Middlewich High School is part of The Sir John Brunner Foundation, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• The County High School, Leftwich Northwich
• Sir John Deane's Sixth Form College Northwich
• The Macclesfield Academy Macclesfield

What is Middlewich High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Middlewich High School is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.

When was Middlewich High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Middlewich High School was last inspected in February 2023.

How many pupils does Middlewich High School have?

Middlewich High School has 665 pupils on roll.

What age range does Middlewich High School cover?

Middlewich High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Middlewich High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.3, and 29% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Middlewich High School?

Middlewich High School is at King Edward Street, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 9BU.