Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College
Middlewich Road, Sandbach, CW11 3NT
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- SANDBACH HIGH SCHOOL AND SIXTH FORM COLLEGE
- Headteacher
- Mrs Ellen Walton
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Congleton
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,426
- Pupils on roll
- 1,340
- URN
- 136340
- Local authority
- Cheshire East
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01270765031
About this school
Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College is a girls' secondary academy in Sandbach. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,340 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College, 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
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 219 | 216 | 238 |
| Attainment 8 score | 55.2 | 52.6 | 55.6 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.43 +0.24 to +0.62 | +0.48 +0.28 to +0.67 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 57% | 57.9% | 58.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 79.2% | 80.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 53% | 64.8% | 73.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.8 | 4.7 | 5.1 |
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 Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College 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 East average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 55.2 | 37.3 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 52.6 | 39.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 55.6 | 37.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,398 |
| 2023/24 | 1,391 |
| 2024/25 | 1,358 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College compares
Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College ranked 1st of 22 secondary schools in Cheshire East for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 88% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55.6 | 5.1% | 12.8% | 1,340 | — |
| Sandbach School | 48.2 | 7.4% | 14.8% | 1,534 | 0.2 miles |
| Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School | 48.2 | 8.2% | 13.4% | 1,311 | 3.5 miles |
| Sir William Stanier School | 28.4 | 13.6% | 46.2% | 633 | 3.7 miles |
| Alsager School | 51.9 | 7% | 14.5% | 1,528 | 4.0 miles |
| Cheshire Studio School | 24 | 18.3% | 50% | 0 | 4.2 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)
- 12.84%
- English as an additional language
- 8.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.12%
- Persistent absence
- 10.68%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sandbach School0.2 miles
Secondary · Sandbach
-
Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School3.5 miles
Secondary · Crewe
-
Sir William Stanier School3.7 miles
Secondary · Crewe
-
Alsager School4.0 miles
Secondary · Stoke-on-Trent
-
Cheshire Studio School4.2 miles
Secondary · Crewe
Other schools in Sandbach
- Sandbach School Secondary
- Brereton CofE Primary School Primary
- Elworth CofE Primary School Primary
- Elworth Hall Primary School Primary
- Offley Primary Academy Primary
- Sandbach Primary Academy Primary
- Smallwood CofE Primary School Primary
- St John's CofE Academy Primary
- Warmingham CofE Primary School Primary
- Wheelock Primary School Primary
- Cheshire Hall School Special schools
- The Lodge AP Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College teach?
- Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Sandbach.
- Who is the headteacher of Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College?
- The headteacher of Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College is Mrs Ellen Walton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College, 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 Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College?
- Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College has 1,340 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College full?
- Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College has capacity for 1,426 pupils and 1,340 on roll (94%), so it has space against 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 Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College a faith school?
- No. Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College has no designated religious character.
- Is Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College a selective school?
- No. Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College part of an academy trust?
- Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College is part of SANDBACH HIGH SCHOOL AND SIXTH FORM COLLEGE. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 55.2 in 2022/23 and 55.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College compare with other schools in Cheshire East?
- Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College ranked 1st of 22 secondary schools in Cheshire East for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 88% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College's absence rate?
- Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College'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 1 July 2026.