Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School, Warrington

Ofsted's report card from its 3 February 2026 inspection grades Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School on 6 areas: 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Most pupils make steady progress as they move through the curriculum."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Overall, pupils' attendance is in line with national averages."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify pupils' needs quickly and accurately."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and identify clear priorities for improvement."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The programme to promote pupils' personal development is age-appropriate and generally structured well."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teaching is highly effective across the curriculum, including in citizenship, by supporting teachers to use learning activities that deepen pupils' learning fully and extend pupils' verbal and written vocabulary"; "Leaders should ensure that they sharpen their evaluations of their improvement work further so that their actions have as much impact as possible, including for disadvantaged pupils' attendance and achievement"; "Leaders should ensure that behaviour expectations are applied consistently well, particularly at social times, to help pupils to remain settled and to self‑regulate".

On phones, the school says: "Members of staff, by law, may confiscate or retain a student’s property as part of a disciplinary action, such as mobile phones and non-compliant items of uniform."

In 2026, pupils at Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.7 in Warrington and 47 across England.

45% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Warrington and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 46.1.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.24: 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 36.5, against 51.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 199 families put Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School as their first choice and 490 named it as one of their preferences, for 175 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 36 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School are Cardinal Newman Catholic High School (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.1); Bridgewater High School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 55); Aldridge UTC Warrington (1.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 30.3); and King's Leadership Academy Warrington (1.9 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 55.4).

Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England 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.

77 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School (as of April 2026): 95% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (90%).

Of the 148 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 78% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 50% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.

40% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 94 pupils (10.7%) received SEN support and 64 (7.3%) 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.

Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School has a resourced provision for moderate learning difficulties: 24 places, 24 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Warrington Central Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cheshire Cheese (opposite), 120 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 175 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 Warrington (96), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School issued 97 suspensions, 11.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School are Alderman Bolton Primary School (0.2 miles); Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.2 miles); St Augustine's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles); and St Thomas' CofE Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.