Best Schools in Halton

How many schools are there in Halton?

Halton has 70 open schools: 49 state primary, 8 state secondary or all-through, 8 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Halton are rated Outstanding?

10 schools in Halton were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Poppy Field School, Riverside College Halton, St Bede's Catholic Infant School, Wade Deacon High School, Ashley High School and 5 more. Counting Good as well, 89% of the 63 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Poppy Field SchoolRiverside College HaltonSt Bede's Catholic Infant SchoolWade Deacon High SchoolAshley High School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Halton get the best GCSE results?

Of the 9 schools in Halton with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Wade Deacon High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.2 and 54% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Sandymoor Ormiston Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 43.2 and 37% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and The Heath School, with an Attainment 8 score of 41 and 33% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Wade Deacon High SchoolSandymoor Ormiston AcademyThe Heath School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Halton have the best SATs results?

Of the 48 primary schools in Halton with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Moorfield Primary School (97% in reading, 94% in maths); Pewithall School (90% in reading, 97% in maths); and Daresbury Primary School (96% in reading, 89% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Moorfield Primary SchoolPewithall SchoolDaresbury Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Halton?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Halton selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Halton have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Halton have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Halton allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Halton?

Apply to Halton through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.