Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School, Widnes

In its own words: ""Faith guides us to inspire every student to be the best they can be" At Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School, we are a community rooted in faith, learning, and service. Our mission is to educate the whole child, preparing students to become compassionate citizens and lifelong learners, equipped to make a meaningful difference in the world."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Saints Peter and Paul is a school with a proud history, strong values and an unwavering commitment to helping every child flourish. What makes our school special is our ability to combine academic excellence with genuine care for every young person in our community."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include orchestra, guitar, STEM and Duke of Edinburgh.

On phones, the school says: "Use of mobile phones Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School is a mobile phone free school for students."

Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 29 June 2027 and an open evening on Thursday 1 July 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 40.1 in Halton and 47 across England.

35% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 34% in Halton and 47% in England.

That is down from 41.4 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.61: 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 34.9, against 43.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9 points.

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

For September 2026 entry, 247 families put Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School as their first choice and 659 named it as one of their preferences, for 271 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School are Wade Deacon High School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 49.2); Ormiston Chadwick Academy (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37); Rainhill High School (2.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.3); and The Grange School (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36).

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Of the 281 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 83% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

41% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 28 places, 13 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Widnes Rail Station, about 730 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).

2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Albion, 340 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 267 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Halton (166), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School issued 277 suspensions, 21.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 8 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School are St Bede's Catholic Junior School (0.4 miles), St Bede's Catholic Infant School (0.4 miles), Ditton Primary School (0.4 miles) and Fairfield Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.