Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College, Altrincham

From the headteacher's welcome: "Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College is a bright beacon of hope, learning and faith in the heart of Altrincham. Our light shines out to all our partner primary schools, our parishes, Trafford Council and the Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury. As a Catholic college we are proud to worship, and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ."

In 2026, pupils at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 58.2 in Trafford and 47 across England.

37% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 66% in Trafford and 47% in England.

That is down from 48.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.23: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 38.4, against 48.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Business Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 209 families put Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College as their first choice and 986 named it as one of their preferences, for 285 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College are Wellington School (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 55.7); North Cestrian School (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.9); Loreto Grammar School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 75.2); and Altrincham College (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47).

Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

322 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College (as of September 2025): 79% would recommend the school, 82% say their child is happy there and 61% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (84%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (61%).

Of the 269 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 21% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 105 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 62% went on to university or other higher education, 8% to apprenticeships and 19% into work. 23% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

12.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (68%), Asian (7%) and Mixed (7%).

The nearest railway station is Altrincham Rail Station, about 380 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Blessed Thomas Holford (outside), 140 metres away.

In 2024/25, Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College issued 139 suspensions, 8.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 8 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College are St Vincent's Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), Stamford Park Primary School (0.4 miles), Altrincham CofE (Aided) Primary School (0.5 miles) and Navigation Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.