The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School
Vaughans Lane, Great Boughton, Chester, CH3 5XF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE BISHOPS' BLUE COAT CHURCH OF ENGLAND HIGH SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Ms Helen Cairns
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chester
- Constituency
- Chester North and Neston
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,200
- Pupils on roll
- 1,253
- URN
- 136543
- Local authority
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01244313806
About this school
The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School is a Church of England secondary academy in Chester. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,253 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 178 | 207 | 193 |
| Attainment 8 score | 51.9 | 48.8 | 53.8 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.42 +0.20 to +0.64 | +0.26 +0.06 to +0.47 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 48% | 45.9% | 58.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 78% | 72% | 79.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 17% | 19.3% | 18.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
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 The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England 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 | 51.9 | 41.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 48.8 | 40.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 53.8 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,144 |
| 2023/24 | 1,179 |
| 2024/25 | 1,203 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School compares
The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School ranked 3rd of 20 secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 85% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53.8 | 6.8% | 17.4% | 1,253 | — |
| Chester International School | 34.5 | 15.5% | 33.1% | 229 | 0.8 miles |
| Queen's Park High School | 44.2 | 9.2% | 29.3% | 792 | 0.8 miles |
| The Catholic High School, Chester | 46.7 | 9.1% | 21.5% | 797 | 1.2 miles |
| Christleton High School | 54.8 | 6.5% | 11.5% | 1,382 | 1.4 miles |
| Upton-by-Chester High School | 48.8 | 6.5% | 17.2% | 1,728 | 2.1 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
-
Ungraded inspection report30 April 2025
- 20 November 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 17.35%
- English as an additional language
- 8.6%
- Overall absence
- 6.81%
- Persistent absence
- 19.44%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Chester International School0.8 miles
Secondary · Chester
-
Queen's Park High School0.8 miles
Secondary · Chester
-
The Catholic High School, Chester1.2 miles
Secondary · Chester
-
Christleton High School1.4 miles
Secondary · Chester
-
Upton-by-Chester High School2.1 miles
Secondary · Chester
Other schools in Chester
The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School ranks 2nd 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 Catholic High School, Chester Secondary
- Upton-by-Chester High School 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 year groups does The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School teach?
- The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Chester.
- Who is the headteacher of The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School?
- The headteacher of The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School is Ms Helen Cairns, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England 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 big is The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School?
- The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School has 1,253 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School full?
- The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School has capacity for 1,200 pupils and 1,253 on roll (104%), 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 The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School a faith school?
- Yes. The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chester.
- Is The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School a selective school?
- No. The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School?
- The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School is part of THE BISHOPS' BLUE COAT CHURCH OF ENGLAND HIGH SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 51.9 in 2022/23 and 53.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School rank locally?
- The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School ranked 3rd of 20 secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 85% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School's absence rate?
- The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England 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 1 July 2026.