Chester International School, Chester

Ofsted's report card from its 15 September 2026 inspection grades Chester International School on 7 areas: 7 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Many pupils join the school with a multitude of barriers to learning and wellbeing, as well as significant gaps in their knowledge."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Many pupils join the school with entrenched patterns of poor attendance, and a significant number have not recently accessed formal education."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have adapted the curriculum so that it better meets the needs of the significant number of pupils who have multiple barriers to learning."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "This is a highly inclusive school."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Trust leaders recently took decisive action to improve the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The personal development programme connects the different elements of ‘Enrich', ‘Futures', ‘World Views' and ‘Core' to ensure that pupils develop into well-rounded individuals prepared to take up their place in society."

Post-16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders have responded to the changing cohort in the sixth form and continue to review the qualifications on offer to ensure they match students' needs and provide appropriate pathways for those joining from key stage 4."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should further embed strategies to increase attendance, so that improvements in pupils' attendance are sustained over time"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently use checks on pupils' understanding to shape learning, so that pupils build deep and rich bodies of knowledge in each subject"; "Leaders should sharpen their systems for evaluating the impact of the personal development programme on all pupils, so that all pupils fully benefit from the programme".

In its own words: "Assistant Headteacher Abbey is a passionate historian with a degree in History from the University of Liverpool. She is committed to lifelong learning and has completed the Level 6 Supporting Career Development qualification, the NPQSL, and an MA in Educational Leadership. Abbey has extensive expertise in sixth form leadership, the International Baccalaureate and careers education."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include yoga, dance, coding and photography.

In 2026, pupils at Chester International School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.3 in Cheshire West and Chester and 47 across England.

28% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 42% in Cheshire West and Chester and 47% in England.

That is up from 34.5 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -1.2: pupils made well below 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 31.5, against 42.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and History.

Across Cheshire West and Chester, 95% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.

In 2026, families in Cheshire West and Chester lodged 63 appeals against secondary school offers; 45 reached a hearing and 9 succeeded (20% of those heard).

The nearest other state secondary schools to Chester International School are Queen's Park High School (0.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.6); The Catholic High School, Chester (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.1); The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 53.7); and Tute Education Ltd (2 miles).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Chester International School.

Chester International School is one of 4 schools run by The Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.9 in 2024/25.

Of the 84 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 73% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 31% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

Of the 50 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 46% went on to university or other higher education and 8% into work. 21% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

In 2026, 89 pupils (38.9%) received SEN support and 14 (6.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

Chester International School had 23 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Chester Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Queen's Park School (bay 2), 90 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 424 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cheshire West and Chester (71), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Chester International School issued 33 suspensions, 12.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Chester International School are The Grosvenor Park Church of England Academy (0.3 miles), Overleigh St Mary's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles), St Werburgh's and St Columba's Catholic Primary School (0.8 miles) and Cherry Grove Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.