SchoolFacts.uk

Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College

Secondary · Altrincham · WA15 8HT

Data updated

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Good

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 18 March 2025

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,638 pupils · 96% of 1,700 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Voluntary aided school
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
14.5% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
10.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
17.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
https://www.bthcc.org.uk/
URN
106376

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 209 families named it first for 285 Year 7 places, 0.73 first choices per place. We hold 6 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2021 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. At its inspection on 18 March 2025 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 7.2% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.73 first-choice applications per place

285 places offered · 209 first-choice applications · usually has places

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Cutoff by admission criterion (2026 entry)

Category 5
4.58 miles

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

261 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
48.9
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
66.3%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
42.1%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
3.8
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) C+
31.9
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school48.9
Median of its 12 closest peers51.4
Trafford average58.9
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Kesgrave High SchoolIpswich · 176 miles awayExpected standard49.7
Ashton-on-Mersey SchoolSale · 2 miles awayGood52.1
Fortismere SchoolLondon · 154 miles awayGood58.1
Calderstones SchoolLiverpool · 23 miles awayGood46.1
Hazel Grove High SchoolStockport · 9 miles awayExpected standard48.6
The Ashcombe SchoolDorking · 171 miles awayGood57.1
Bottisham Village CollegeCambridge · 135 miles awayRequires improvement51.1
Warden Park Secondary AcademyHaywards Heath · 189 miles awayExpected standard52.4
The Mountbatten SchoolRomsey · 170 miles awayGood51.2
George Abbot SchoolGuildford · 166 miles awayGood58.2
Faringdon Community CollegeFaringdon · 124 miles awayGood43.7
Oathall Community CollegeHaywards Heath · 190 miles awayGood51.6

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 68% (Trafford 51%, England 59%) · Any other White background 7% (Trafford 4%, England 7%) · Asian Indian 5% (Trafford 8%, England 4%) · Black African 3% (Trafford 4%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 3% (Trafford 2%, England 2%) · White Irish 3% (Trafford 1%, England 0%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Trafford 3%, England 3%) · Asian Chinese 2% (Trafford 6%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Trafford 3%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Trafford 1%, England 1%) · Black Caribbean 1% (Trafford 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Trafford 2%, England 2%) · Not recorded 1% (Trafford 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 2%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
7.2%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
19.6%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

8.61 suspensions per 100 pupils and 8 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Trafford: 6.78 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
16.7
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

80% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 9% moved to another state school · 11% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 3.06% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained secondaries: 0.22% vacant, 0.42% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

67.3% of teachers took sickness absence, 6.5 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £51,534; 8.5% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£7,405
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 79% (77%) · premises 6% (6%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 8% (7%) · supplies and services 7% (10%) · educational supplies 5% (6%) · bought-in professional services 2% (2%) · catering 4% (3%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve £926,571; in-year balance -£98,529

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
93%
Continuing in education
86%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
2%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
67%
Apprenticeship
3%
Employment
17%
Any sustained destination
88%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
9/10among the least deprived fifth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher56.5%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications9%18.1%
In managerial or professional work52.8%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways11.6%18.1%
Residents in very good health62.1%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier61.3%62.3%
Social housing11.7%17.1%
Privately rented26.9%20.5%
Detached houses8%22.9%
Flats17.8%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms23.8%21.1%
Households with no car or van16.7%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01006194 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£435,000637 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£260,000–£615,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (32)£796,000
Semi-detached (149)£535,000
Terraced (241)£500,000
Flat (215)£230,000

Homes around this school are dearer than three quarters of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
1an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
5an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
14an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
4an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools