Upton-by-Chester High School
St James Avenue, Upton-by-Chester, Chester, CH2 1NN
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr Lee Cummins
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Chester North and Neston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,670
- Pupils on roll
- 1,728
- URN
- 111422
- Local authority
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01244259800
About this school
Upton-by-Chester High School is a foundation secondary school in Chester. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,728 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Upton-by-Chester High School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 5 February 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 278 | 281 | 276 |
| Attainment 8 score | 50.9 | 52.3 | 48.8 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.40 +0.23 to +0.57 | +0.36 +0.19 to +0.52 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 49% | 56.6% | 43.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 72% | 73.3% | 66.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 32% | 22.1% | 35.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Upton-by-Chester High School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Cheshire West and Chester average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 50.9 | 41.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 52.3 | 40.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 48.8 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,737 |
| 2023/24 | 1,738 |
| 2024/25 | 1,752 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Upton-by-Chester High School compares
Upton-by-Chester High School ranked 9th of 20 secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 72% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 32% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 48.8 | 6.5% | 17.2% | 1,728 | — |
| Chester International School | 34.5 | 15.5% | 33.1% | 229 | 2.0 miles |
| The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School | 53.8 | 6.8% | 17.4% | 1,253 | 2.1 miles |
| Queen's Park High School | 44.2 | 9.2% | 29.3% | 792 | 2.2 miles |
| Christleton High School | 54.8 | 6.5% | 11.5% | 1,382 | 2.6 miles |
| The Catholic High School, Chester | 46.7 | 9.1% | 21.5% | 797 | 2.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 17.18%
- English as an additional language
- 8.8%
- Overall absence
- 6.49%
- Persistent absence
- 14.42%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Chester International School2.0 miles
Secondary · Chester
-
The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School2.1 miles
Secondary · Chester
-
Queen's Park High School2.2 miles
Secondary · Chester
-
Christleton High School2.6 miles
Secondary · Chester
-
The Catholic High School, Chester2.7 miles
Secondary · Chester
Other schools in Chester
Upton-by-Chester High School ranks 3rd of the 7 ranked secondary schools in Chester.
- Blacon High School, A Specialist Sports College Secondary
- Chester International School Secondary
- Christleton High School Secondary
- Queen's Park High School Secondary
- The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School Secondary
- The Catholic High School, Chester Secondary
- Acresfield Academy Primary
- Ashton Hayes Primary School Primary
- Barrow CofE Primary School Primary
- Barrow CofE Primary School Primary
- Belgrave Primary School Primary
- Boughton Heath Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Upton-by-Chester High School teach?
- Upton-by-Chester High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Chester.
- Who is the headteacher of Upton-by-Chester High School?
- The headteacher of Upton-by-Chester High School is Mr Lee Cummins, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Upton-by-Chester High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Upton-by-Chester High School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Upton-by-Chester High School?
- Upton-by-Chester High School has 1,728 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Upton-by-Chester High School full?
- Upton-by-Chester High School has capacity for 1,670 pupils and 1,728 on roll (103%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Upton-by-Chester High School a faith school?
- No. Upton-by-Chester High School has no designated religious character.
- Is Upton-by-Chester High School a selective school?
- No. Upton-by-Chester High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Upton-by-Chester High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 50.9 in 2022/23 and 48.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Upton-by-Chester High School compare with other schools in Cheshire West and Chester?
- Upton-by-Chester High School ranked 9th of 20 secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 72% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 32% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Upton-by-Chester High School's absence rate?
- Upton-by-Chester High School's overall absence rate is 6.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Upton-by-Chester High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Upton-by-Chester High School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.