Penketh High School, Warrington
Penketh High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Warrington, part of The Challenge Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 6th-highest of the 14 schools in Warrington with published results, and 1,344th of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 113% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Warrington (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Penketh High School in detail
Penketh High School in its own words
In its own words: "Our vision is clear. We want a school that has a culture of high standards and expectations; a culture that promotes collaboration between pupils and staff to support the academic progress of the young people who attend the school."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include chess, coding, debating and Duke of Edinburgh.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Penketh High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.7 in Warrington and 47 across England.
48% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Warrington and 47% in England.
That is up from 46.5 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.22: pupils made 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 35.8, against 52.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Spanish.
Getting a place at Penketh High School
For September 2026 entry, 180 families put Penketh High School as their first choice and 522 named it as one of their preferences, for 216 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Penketh High School are Great Sankey High School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 49.9); St Gregory's Catholic High School (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 53.8); Aldridge UTC Warrington (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 30.3); and Beamont Collegiate Academy (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.9).
Penketh High School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Great Sankey High SchoolSt Gregory's Catholic High SchoolAldridge UTC WarringtonBeamont Collegiate Academy
The trust
Penketh High School is one of 14 schools run by The Challenge Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.3 in 2024/25.
What parents say
74 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Penketh High School (as of September 2025): 80% would recommend the school, 80% say their child is happy there and 65% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (65%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 161 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 69% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.
Who goes there
Penketh High School has a resourced provision for moderate learning difficulties: 20 places, 22 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sankey for Penketh Rail Station, about 520 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Penketh High School (outside), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Penketh High School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Penketh High School issued 259 suspensions, 25.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Penketh High School are Great Sankey Primary School (0.1 miles), St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles), Park Road Community Primary School (0.6 miles) and Penketh South Community Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Great Sankey Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolPark Road Community Primary SchoolPenketh South Community Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from February 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Penketh High School creates an inclusive, safe community where your child will thrive both academically and personally. Teachers are well-trained and deliver lessons designed to build essential knowledge and skills. Beyond the classroom, your child will benefit from a comprehensive enrichment programme and high-quality careers guidance from Year 7 onwards, preparing them well for their future.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel safe and have warm relationships with staff - they know who to speak to when worried or upset
- All pupils participate in a wide range of enrichment activities during the school day that develop key life skills
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs, who progress well through the ambitious curriculum
- Strong focus on improving reading - most pupils become fluent and confident readers
- Good behaviour in lessons and around school due to consistent, clear systems managed by staff
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment strategies are not consistent across all subjects, meaning some gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified or addressed quickly enough
- Some disadvantaged pupils and those who struggle with attendance do not attend school often enough, which hinders their learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with clear systems in place and pupils knowing who to turn to for help.
Extracurricular Activities
Enrichment activities programme, careers programme from Year 7 onwards
Penketh High School has successfully maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. The school is an inclusive community where pupils feel safe, behave well, and benefit from an ambitious curriculum designed to help them thrive.
About
Penketh High School is a secondary school in Penketh, Warrington. It is a co-educational, non-denominational academy school for 11 to 16 year olds.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
27.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: MLD
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
74 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.41 to -0.22 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 45.2 to 47.7 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 41% to 48% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 47.7 | 48.2% |
| Disadvantaged(55) | - | 35.8 | 29.1% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(140) | - | 52.4 | 55.7% |
| Boys(90) | - | 45.7 | 46.7% |
| Girls(105) | - | 49.5 | 49.5% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(38) | - | 57.6 | 57.9% |
| Non mobile(194) | - | 47.8 | 48.5% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 5 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 161 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
5
Permanent exclusions
0.49%
Exclusion rate
259
Suspensions
25.32%
Suspension rate
75 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,023 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Penketh High School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Penketh High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Penketh High School is in Warrington; for families living there:
Apply to Warrington for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 20
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 15 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
9 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Warrington is 11 (the median across 96 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Penketh High School
Will you get a place at Penketh High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Penketh High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Penketh High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Penketh High School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Warrington, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Penketh High School for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Warrington got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
113%
Over capacity
1,020 pupils
900 places
120 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Warrington
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Warrington
Across Warrington council
Places available
2,880
Applications
2,620
Got 1st preference
88.9%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Warrington council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
138
SEN Support
64
EHC Plans
19.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Penketh High School has a resourced provision for moderate learning difficulties: 20 places, 22 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,058
Total Pupils
547
Boys
511
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
66
Teachers
16.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£58,020
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,007
Per pupil
£7669k
Total funding
£306k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.7%
Overall absence
19.8%
Persistent absence
1,036
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Penketh High School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Penketh High School
What are GCSE results like at Penketh High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Penketh High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47.7. 48% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Penketh High School's Ofsted rating?
Penketh High School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Penketh High School?
No fixed boundary. When Penketh High School is oversubscribed, Warrington allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Penketh High School?
Penketh High School was full in 2025, at 113% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Penketh High School?
Classes at Penketh High School average 23.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Penketh High School?
Penketh High School has around 1058 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Penketh High School have specialist SEN provision?
Penketh High School has a resourced provision for moderate learning difficulties: 20 places, 22 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Penketh High School?
7.7% of sessions were missed at Penketh High School in 2024/25. 19.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Penketh High School?
Apply through Warrington's coordinated admissions process, naming Penketh High School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Penketh High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 15 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 9 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Warrington is 11 (the median across 96 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Penketh High School?
Penketh High School is at Heath Road, Penketh, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 2BY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)