Hartford Church of England High School
Hartford Campus Chester Road, Northwich, CW8 1LH
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rachel Pickerill
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chester
- Constituency
- Mid Cheshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,200
- Pupils on roll
- 1,102
- URN
- 138148
- Local authority
- Cheshire West and Chester
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01606786000
About this school
Hartford Church of England High School is a Church of England voluntary aided secondary school in Northwich. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,102 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
- 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 | 212 | 207 | 196 |
| Attainment 8 score | 51.4 | 47.1 | 50.3 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.06 -0.26 to +0.13 | -0.15 -0.34 to +0.04 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 58% | 52.7% | 56.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 76% | 69.6% | 77% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 61% | 59.9% | 67.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.7 | 4.4 | 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 Hartford 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 | 51.4 | 41.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 47.1 | 40.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 50.3 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,076 |
| 2023/24 | 1,087 |
| 2024/25 | 1,070 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Hartford Church of England High School compares
Hartford Church of England High School ranked 8th of 20 secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 77% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50.3 | 8.1% | 18.7% | 1,102 | — |
| St Nicholas Catholic High School | 50.8 | 8.2% | 14% | 1,201 | 0.4 miles |
| The County High School, Leftwich | 51.9 | 7.6% | 15.8% | 1,046 | 1.4 miles |
| Weaverham High School | 50.6 | 8% | 19% | 1,154 | 1.9 miles |
| The Rudheath Senior Academy | 35.7 | 12.4% | 34.6% | 576 | 2.3 miles |
| The Winsford Academy | 30.6 | 16.7% | 44.9% | 945 | 3.7 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)
- 18.69%
- English as an additional language
- 4.6%
- Overall absence
- 8.08%
- Persistent absence
- 21.68%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Nicholas Catholic High School0.4 miles
Secondary · Northwich
-
The County High School, Leftwich1.4 miles
Secondary · Northwich
-
Weaverham High School1.9 miles
Secondary · Northwich
-
The Rudheath Senior Academy2.3 miles
Secondary · Northwich
-
The Winsford Academy3.7 miles
Secondary · Winsford
Other schools in Northwich
Hartford Church of England High School ranks 4th of the 5 ranked secondary schools in Northwich.
- St Nicholas Catholic High School Secondary
- The County High School, Leftwich Secondary
- The Rudheath Senior Academy Secondary
- Weaverham High School Secondary
- Antrobus St Mark's CofE Primary School Primary
- Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School Primary
- Charles Darwin Community Primary School Primary
- Comberbach Nursery and Primary School Primary
- Crowton Christ Church CofE Primary School Primary
- Cuddington Primary School Primary
- Davenham CofE Primary School Primary
- Great Budworth CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Hartford Church of England High School teach?
- Hartford Church of England High School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Northwich.
- Who is the headteacher of Hartford Church of England High School?
- The headteacher of Hartford Church of England High School is Mrs Rachel Pickerill, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Hartford Church of England High School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Hartford 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 Hartford Church of England High School?
- Hartford Church of England High School has 1,102 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Hartford Church of England High School full?
- Hartford Church of England High School has capacity for 1,200 pupils and 1,102 on roll (92%), 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 Hartford Church of England High School a faith school?
- Yes. Hartford Church of England High School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chester.
- Is Hartford Church of England High School a selective school?
- No. Hartford Church of England High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Hartford Church of England High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 51.4 in 2022/23 and 50.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Hartford Church of England High School rank locally?
- Hartford Church of England High School ranked 8th of 20 secondary schools in Cheshire West and Chester for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 77% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Hartford Church of England High School's absence rate?
- Hartford Church of England High School's overall absence rate is 8.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Hartford Church of England High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Hartford 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.