Schools by area › Cheshire West and Chester › The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School
The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School
Secondary · Mixed · Ages 11–18 · Academy
Vaughans Lane, Great Boughton, Chester CH3 5XF · bishopschester.co.uk · 01244 313806
Overview
- Ofsted
- Good
- 2019 framework · inspected Nov 2019
- GCSEs, 2024/25
- 53.8
- average Attainment 8 score. Cheshire West and Chester 44.6, England 46
- Last distance offered
- No limit
- Year 7, September 2026 entry · Cheshire West and Chester Council
- Demand for places
- 1.1
- first choices for each place · Year 7, September 2026
- Pupils
- 1,253
- 53 over 1,200 places · 104%
- Local authority
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Free school meals
- 17%
- First language not English
- 9.1%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Year 7 in September 2026, everyone who applied was offered a place. Source: Cheshire West and Chester Council’s document.
For Year 7 in September 2026, 219 families put the school first and 202 places were offered; 91% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Year 7 | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 202 | 219 | 1.1▲ | 91% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 202 | 224 | 1.1▲ | 88% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 209 | 213 | 1▲ | 95% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 206 | 253 | 1.2▲ | 76% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 208 | 193 | 0.9 | 94% |
Results
In 2024/25 the average Attainment 8 score at GCSE was 53.8, and 58.5% of pupils got grade 5 or above in English and maths. Across Cheshire West and Chester it was 44.6, and across England 46.
In 2024/25 the average A level result was grade C (30.7 points per entry).
GCSE results
Attainment 8
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| ▲53.8 | 46.0 | ||
| ▲58.5% | 45.4% | ||
| ▲79.8% | 64.8% | ||
| ▼18.1% | 40.5% | ||
| ▲4.67 | 4.09 |
Where Year 11 leavers went
| Left in 2023/24 | Since 2021/22 | |
|---|---|---|
| School sixth form | 48.8 | +11.4 |
| Sixth form college | 4.8 | −5 |
| Further education | 29.5 | −4.9 |
| Apprenticeship | 3.4 | +0.3 |
| Employment | 4.3 | −0.6 |
| Not in a lasting destination | 5.8 | −1.6 |
| Activity not captured | 3.4 | +1.6 |
A levels and other 16 to 18 results
A level average grade
| 2024/25 | Trend | Average grade | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 students | C (30.7) | Below average -0.34 | |
| 75 students | C (30.7) | Below average -0.35 | |
| 52 students | Dist (35) | Above average +0.30 |
| Earlier years: A level | Students | Average grade | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 63 | C+ (33.7) | -0.02 |
| 2022/23 | 59 | B- (35.9) | — |
| 2021/22 | 79 | B (40.1) | — |
| 2018/19 | 83 | C (29.1) | -0.33 |
| 2017/18 | 84 | C (28.4) | -0.05 |
| 2016/17 | 90 | C- (27.5) | -0.13 |
| 2015/16 | 97 | C- (25.5) | -0.22 |
Where sixth-form leavers went
| Left in 2023/24 | Since 2021/22 | |
|---|---|---|
| University | 50.7 | −7.6 |
| Further and other education | 2.9 | +0.5 |
| Further education | 1.4 | — |
| Other education | 1.4 | — |
| Apprenticeship | 4.3 | +3.1 |
| Employment | 30.4 | +5.4 |
| Not in a lasting destination | 5.8 | −4.9 |
| Activity not captured | 5.8 | +3.4 |
Ofsted
The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School was judged Good at its last graded inspection, on 20 November 2019, under Ofsted’s 2019 framework. An ungraded inspection in Apr 2025 found: Standards maintained.
- Outcome
- Standards maintained
- Inspected
- 29 Apr 2025
- Ungraded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Previously: Good, graded inspection, Nov 2019
Earlier inspections
September 2019 to November 2025
Nov 2019Good
Quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Sixth form Good Safeguarding Effective
Before September 2019
Nov 2018Ungraded inspectionConcerns
Safeguarding Effective Mar 2015Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leadership and management Good 16 to 19 study programmes Good May 2011Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leadership and management Good 16 to 19 study programmes Good
What parents said
82% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (306 replies, to 1 September 2025).
- Recommend
- 82%
- Replies
- 306
- 25% · 1 Sept 2025
based on the 79% who raised concerns
based on the 35% who had a child bullied
based on 89 parents (29%) with SEND