The Rudheath Senior Academy, Northwich
The Rudheath Senior Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Northwich, part of North West Academies Trust Limited. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 5th-highest of the 5 schools in Northwich with published results, and 3,210th of 3,298 across England. It was 71% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Cheshire West and Chester (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Rudheath Senior Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Rudheath Senior Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 32.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.3 in Cheshire West and Chester and 47 across England.
19% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 42% in Cheshire West and Chester and 47% in England.
That is down from 35.7 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 27.1, against 35.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 18 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at The Rudheath Senior Academy
For September 2026 entry, 108 families put The Rudheath Senior Academy as their first choice and 167 named it as one of their preferences, for 116 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at The Rudheath Senior Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Rudheath Senior Academy are The County High School, Leftwich (1.4 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 50.1); St Nicholas Catholic High School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.7); Hartford Church of England High School (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.7); and Weaverham High School (4 miles, Attainment 8 53.5).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Rudheath Senior Academy.
The County High School, LeftwichSt Nicholas Catholic High SchoolHartford Church of England High SchoolWeaverham High School
The trust
The Rudheath Senior Academy is one of 14 schools run by North West Academies Trust Limited, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 104 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 72% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 49% to a further education college, 9% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
36.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The Rudheath Senior Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 15 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Northwich Rail Station, about 1060 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Co-op (near), 120 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Rudheath Senior Academy issued 360 suspensions, 61 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Rudheath Senior Academy are Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery (0.4 miles), Victoria Road Primary School (0.8 miles), Witton Church Walk CofE Aided Nursery and Primary School (1 mile) and Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School (1.3 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Rudheath Primary Academy and NurseryVictoria Road Primary SchoolWitton Church Walk CofE Aided Nursery and Primary SchoolLostock Gralam CofE 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; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from January 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2018 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Rudheath Senior Academy is a coeducational secondary school that educates approximately 420 children between 11 and 16 years of age. It is located in the village of Rudheath, near Northwich in Cheshire, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
36.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.56 to -0.22 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 34.9 to 32.2 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 27% to 19% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 32.2 | 19.1% |
| Disadvantaged(44) | - | 27.1 | 15.9% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(71) | - | 35.3 | 21.1% |
| Boys(51) | - | 27.4 | 13.7% |
| Girls(64) | - | 35.9 | 23.4% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(7) | - | 40.5 | 71.4% |
| Non mobile(104) | - | 33.6 | 20.2% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 104 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
360
Suspensions
61.02%
Suspension rate
104 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 590 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with The Rudheath Senior Academy
Term dates
The Rudheath Senior Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cheshire West and Chester's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Rudheath Senior Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Rudheath Senior Academy is in Cheshire West and Chester; for families living there:
Apply to Cheshire West and Chester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people 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 Cheshire West and Chester is 7 (the median across 184 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 The Rudheath Senior Academy
Will you get a place at The Rudheath Senior Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Rudheath Senior Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Rudheath Senior Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Rudheath Senior Academy.
- Cheshire West and Chester publishes last distance offered figures, but none for The Rudheath Senior Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Rudheath Senior Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cheshire West and Chester 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
71%
Available places
594 pupils
840 places
246 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Northwich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Northwich
Across Cheshire West and Chester council
Places available
4,194
Applications
3,482
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All secondary applications across Cheshire West and Chester council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
107
SEN Support
31
EHC Plans
24.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Rudheath Senior Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 15 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
576
Total Pupils
286
Boys
290
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
35
Teachers
16.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,922
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,560
Per pupil
£4783k
Total funding
£213k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
12.3%
Overall absence
34.0%
Persistent absence
632
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
The Rudheath Senior Academy
Questions parents ask about The Rudheath Senior Academy
What are GCSE results like at The Rudheath Senior Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Rudheath Senior Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 32.2. 19% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Rudheath Senior Academy's Ofsted rating?
The Rudheath Senior Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Rudheath Senior Academy?
No fixed boundary. When The Rudheath Senior Academy is oversubscribed, Cheshire West and Chester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Rudheath Senior Academy?
The Rudheath Senior Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 840 places.
How big are the classes at The Rudheath Senior Academy?
Classes at The Rudheath Senior Academy average 24.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Rudheath Senior Academy?
The Rudheath Senior Academy has around 576 pupils on roll. 36% are eligible for free school meals.
Does The Rudheath Senior Academy have specialist SEN provision?
The Rudheath Senior Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 15 places, 5 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at The Rudheath Senior Academy?
12.3% of sessions were missed at The Rudheath Senior Academy in 2024/25. 34% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Rudheath Senior Academy?
Apply through Cheshire West and Chester's coordinated admissions process, naming The Rudheath Senior Academy 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 The Rudheath Senior Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people 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 Cheshire West and Chester is 7 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Rudheath Senior Academy?
The Rudheath Senior Academy is at Middlewich Road, Rudheath, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 7DT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)