The Raise Academy, Widnes
The Raise Academy is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Widnes, part of Youth Engagement Schools Trust.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Raise Academy in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to The Raise Academy are Brookfields School (0.4 miles, Outstanding); Poppy Field School (0.9 miles, Outstanding); Chesnut Lodge Special School (1.6 miles, Good); and Ashley High School (1.7 miles, Outstanding).
Brookfields SchoolPoppy Field SchoolChesnut Lodge Special SchoolAshley High School
The trust
The Raise Academy is one of 7 schools run by Youth Engagement Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
75% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 0% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at The Raise Academy has an education, health and care plan (58 of 60 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Widnes Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Warrington Road, 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Raise Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Raise Academy issued 87 suspensions, 223.1 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
No inspection data available
At a Glance
75.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with The Raise Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Raise Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Raise Academy is in Halton; for families living there:
Apply to Halton for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
2 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 Halton is 9.5 (the median across 70 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
94%
Near capacity
60 pupils
64 places
4 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Widnes
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Widnes
Across Halton council
Places available
1,690
Applications
1,471
Got 1st preference
96.2%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All secondary applications across Halton council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
2
SEN Support
58
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
60
Total Pupils
43
Boys
17
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
6.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,156
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
32.5%
Overall absence
65.9%
Persistent absence
44
Enrolments
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
The Raise Academy
Showing 10 of 11 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The Raise Academy
What is the catchment area for The Raise Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Raise Academy is oversubscribed, Halton allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to The Raise Academy?
The Raise Academy has around 60 pupils on roll. 75% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Raise Academy?
32.5% of sessions were missed at The Raise Academy in 2024/25. 65.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Raise Academy?
Apply through Halton's coordinated admissions process, naming The Raise Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near The Raise Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 2 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 Halton is 9.5 (the median across 70 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Raise Academy?
The Raise Academy is at Naylor Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 0BS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)