The Heath School, Runcorn

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to The Heath School. We are very proud of both our school and our local community. It is my ambition for this school and its students to be the best version of itself, comparable with the very best schools and students across the country."

In 2026, pupils at The Heath School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 40.1 in Halton and 47 across England.

33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 34% in Halton and 47% in England.

That is down from 42.5 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.27: 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 34.3, against 44.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Spanish.

For September 2026 entry, 216 families put The Heath School as their first choice and 378 named it as one of their preferences, for 223 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Heath School are Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy (0.6 miles, Attainment 8 37.5); The Grange School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36); Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy (2.3 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 37); and Sandymoor Ormiston Academy (3.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.2).

The Heath School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

The Heath School is one of 8 schools run by The Heath Family (north West), an academy trust.

165 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Heath School (as of September 2025): 67% would recommend the school, 70% say their child is happy there and 44% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (79%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (44%).

Of the 237 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 71% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

3.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 223 pupils (19%) received SEN support and 31 (2.6%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Runcorn Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Heath High School, 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Heath School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, The Heath School issued 211 suspensions, 17.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 6 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Heath School are Pewithall School (0.2 miles), Weston Primary School (0.5 miles), Halton Lodge Nursery & Primary School (0.5 miles) and St Clement's Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.