Cardinal Newman Catholic High School
Bridgewater Avenue, Latchford, Warrington, WA4 1RX
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Helen Pinnington
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Shrewsbury
- Constituency
- Warrington South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 825
- Pupils on roll
- 808
- URN
- 111456
- Local authority
- Warrington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01925635556
About this school
Cardinal Newman Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in Warrington. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 808 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Cardinal Newman Catholic 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 162 | 161 | 164 |
| Attainment 8 score | 40.2 | 44.5 | 41.9 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.49 -0.71 to -0.27 | -0.19 -0.41 to +0.04 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 29% | 42.2% | 22.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 52% | 72% | 59.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 38% | 49.1% | 51.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.7 |
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 Cardinal Newman Catholic 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 | Warrington average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 40.2 | 43.4 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 44.5 | 43 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 41.9 | 41.8 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 819 |
| 2023/24 | 846 |
| 2024/25 | 855 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Cardinal Newman Catholic High School compares
Cardinal Newman Catholic High School ranked 11th of 13 secondary schools in Warrington for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 45% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 10% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 41.9 | 9.4% | 30.5% | 808 | — |
| Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School | 46.1 | 8.5% | 36.2% | 879 | 0.7 miles |
| King's Leadership Academy Warrington | 56 | 4.1% | 15% | 804 | 1.3 miles |
| UTC Warrington | 23 | 17.8% | 46.5% | 278 | 1.4 miles |
| Padgate Academy | 39.4 | 8% | 50.6% | 661 | 1.5 miles |
| Beamont Collegiate Academy | 45.8 | 9.4% | 44% | 890 | 1.7 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.
Inspection history
- 15 November 2022
-
Ungraded inspection report23 October 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 30.53%
- English as an additional language
- 23%
- Overall absence
- 9.36%
- Persistent absence
- 27.36%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School0.7 miles
Secondary · Warrington
-
King's Leadership Academy Warrington1.3 miles
Secondary · Warrington
-
UTC Warrington1.4 miles
Secondary · Warrington
-
Padgate Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · Warrington
-
Beamont Collegiate Academy1.7 miles
Secondary · Warrington
Other schools in Warrington
Cardinal Newman Catholic High School ranks 12th of the 14 ranked secondary schools in Warrington.
- Beamont Collegiate Academy Secondary
- Birchwood Community High School Secondary
- Bridgewater High School Secondary
- Culcheth High School Secondary
- Golborne High School Secondary
- Great Sankey High School Secondary
- King's Leadership Academy Warrington Secondary
- Lowton Church of England High School Secondary
- Padgate Academy Secondary
- Penketh High School Secondary
- Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School Secondary
- St Gregory's Catholic High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Cardinal Newman Catholic High School teach?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic High School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Warrington.
- Who is the headteacher of Cardinal Newman Catholic High School?
- The headteacher of Cardinal Newman Catholic High School is Mrs Helen Pinnington, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Cardinal Newman Catholic High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cardinal Newman Catholic 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 Cardinal Newman Catholic High School?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic High School has 808 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Cardinal Newman Catholic High School full?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic High School has capacity for 825 pupils and 808 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Cardinal Newman Catholic High School a faith school?
- Yes. Cardinal Newman Catholic High School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
- Is Cardinal Newman Catholic High School a selective school?
- No. Cardinal Newman Catholic High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Cardinal Newman Catholic High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 40.2 in 2022/23 and 41.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Cardinal Newman Catholic High School compare with other schools in Warrington?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic High School ranked 11th of 13 secondary schools in Warrington for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 45% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 10% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Cardinal Newman Catholic High School's absence rate?
- Cardinal Newman Catholic High School's overall absence rate is 9.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Cardinal Newman Catholic High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Cardinal Newman Catholic 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.