Ellesmere Port Church of England College

About Ellesmere Port Church of England College

Ellesmere Port Church of England College has been rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection, a significant improvement from its previous Inadequate rating in 2017. The inspection in 2023 awarded Good across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision. However, the school’s academic outcomes tell a more complicated story. Its Progress 8 score, which measures how much progress pupils make between the end of primary school and their GCSEs compared with the national average, stands at -0.51. That places the school well below the national average and ranks it 16th out of 19 similar schools in Cheshire West and Chester, where the local authority average Progress 8 score is -0.06. The school also sits in the bottom 50 nationally on this metric, at the 83rd percentile. The Attainment 8 score, which reflects average GCSE results across eight subjects, is 38.4, and just 23.1% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths.

Breaking the Progress 8 figure down further, the weakest subject area is maths, where the school scores -0.94, followed by the EBacc subjects at -0.63 and English at -0.53. The open element, which covers other GCSE subjects, is closer to the national average at -0.09. At A-level, the picture is similarly challenging: the school’s value-added score is -0.66, which is banded as well below average, and the average points per entry is 20.77, equivalent to a D grade. The best three A-levels average out at a D+. Only 8.8% of pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects, and just 4.4% achieved a strong pass in it. On the positive side, 50.5% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths, which is the basics measure at the standard pass level. The school has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 45.9%, which is well above the national average and likely a factor in the progress scores.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 276 applications for 145 places and 141 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.9. It has a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, chapel, sixth-form centre, astro turf, and music and art studios. Sports on offer include swimming, cricket, netball, and martial arts, while clubs range from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Model UN to orchestra and debate. The school has a dedicated sixth form and provides support for a broad spectrum of special educational needs, including dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. This is a school that has clearly turned a corner in leadership and behaviour, but parents should weigh the improving Ofsted rating against the still-challenging academic outcomes, particularly in maths and at A-level. It may suit families who value the inclusive, supportive environment and wide extracurricular offer over headline exam results.

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