1
Penwortham Girls' High School
Secondary • Community school • Preston • Lancashire • PR1 0SR
Outstanding
Top 10 Secondary schools in North West
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
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This Top 10 showcases secondary schools in the region of North West. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total secondary schools
456
Outstanding
35
Good
286
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 8% · G: 69% · RI: 19% · I: 3%
2
Pleckgate High School
Secondary • Academy sponsor led • Blackburn • Lancashire • BB1 8QA
Outstanding
3
Keswick School
Secondary • Academy converter • Keswick • Cumbria • CA12 5QB
Outstanding
4
Co-op Academy Belle Vue
Secondary • Free schools • Manchester • M12 4BA
Outstanding
5
Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School
Secondary • Free schools • Blackburn • BB2 2LD
Outstanding
6
Didsbury High School
Secondary • Free schools • Manchester • M20 2ET
Outstanding
7
Laurus Cheadle Hulme
Secondary • Free schools • Cheadle • SK8 5GB
Outstanding
8
All Hallows Catholic High School
Secondary • Voluntary aided school • Preston • Lancashire • PR1 0LN
Outstanding
9
Laurus Ryecroft
Secondary • Free schools • Manchester • M43 7LJ
Outstanding
10
Golborne High School
Secondary • Foundation school • Warrington • Cheshire • WA3 3EL
Outstanding
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 secondary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
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Also highly rated nearby
- Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy Outstanding • Feb 2023
- Wirral Grammar School for Girls Outstanding • Jan 2023
-
🔒 8 more near-miss schoolsUnlock
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