St Nicholas Catholic High School
Greenbank Lane, Hartford, Northwich, CW8 1JWOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
St Nicholas Catholic High School is a secondary school in Northwich for ages 11 to 18. It is one of the 181 schools in Cheshire West and Chester. It ranks 4th of 5 secondary schools in Northwich. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 5 March 2024, report published 7 May 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 5 March 2024
Pupils feel happy in the caring community of St Nicholas Catholic High School. Students in the sixth form value the personalised support that they receive from their teachers. This helps to prepare them well for the next stage of their education, employment or training. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils benefit from a well-designed, ambitious curriculum. They enjoy learning. Most pupils apply themselves in lessons and achieve well. The school's values underpin pupils' respectful behaviour. Pupils said that they are kind to each other. They know that they will be listened to by staff if they have any concerns or worries. As a result, pupils feel safe in school. Many pupils value the range of clubs and activities on offer to them. The diverse experiences that the school provides help pupils to nurture their wider talents and build their leadership skills. Pupils develop a strong sense of the importance of citizenship and helping others, for example by raising money for local charities. In the sixth form, students benefit from global travel opportunities, for example some students spoke enthusiastically about a planned expedition to Vietnam and Cambodia.
What the school should improve
- The school's strategies to support pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge are at the early stages of development. This means that some pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, do not read as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff are suitably equipped to support pupils to catch up with their reading. This will help these pupils to build fluency in their reading and access all areas of the curriculum.
- The school lacks a coordinated approach to evaluating the impact of its work to support pupils who are disadvantaged. This means that some disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as they should or benefit from all that the school has to offer. The school should ensure that it makes effective use of the information that it has so that it is better placed to remove the barriers to success that some disadvantaged pupils face.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
197 pupils in the year group
A level results (key stage 5), 2024/25
79 students
Average A level grade C-, England average B-
Pupil numbers and mix
1,201 pupils on roll, with places for 1,240
Schools near St Nicholas Catholic High School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford Church of England High School | 0.4 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 50.3 |
| Sir John Deane's Sixth Form College | 0.6 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
| The Grange School | 0.7 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Attainment 8: 29.2 |
| The County High School, Leftwich | 0.9 miles | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | Attainment 8: 51.9 |
| OneSchool Global Northwich | 2 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Attainment 8: 19.6 |
School details
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mr Craig Burns
- Phone
- 01606706000
- Address
- Greenbank Lane, Hartford, Northwich, CW8 1JW
- Local authority
- Cheshire West and Chester
- URN
- 111450
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.