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St Michael's Church of England High School

Secondary · Chorley · PR7 1RS

Data updated

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Good

Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system

This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: OutstandingPersonal development: OutstandingLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 21 September 2022

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,134 pupils · 101% of 1,125 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–16
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
3.2% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
0.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
7.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
1.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
http://www.saint-michaels.com
URN
136893

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 311 families named it first for 219 Year 7 places, 1.42 first choices per place. We hold one Year 7 admissions round for it, 2026 entry, and it was not decided by a published distance. Ofsted last graded it Good on 21 September 2022, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.2% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.42 first-choice applications per place

219 places offered · 311 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

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)

Fortnightly Church at Foundation Church
3.2 miles

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

GCSE results (2024/2025)

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

Attainment 8 score
58.9
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
91.1%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
72%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
5.3
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.

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

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school58.9
Median of its 12 closest peers56.1
Lancashire average46
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is ahead of 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
Old Swinford HospitalStourbridge · 86 miles awayExpected standard59
Tarporley High School and Sixth Form CollegeTarporley · 35 miles awayGood55.1
Becket Keys Church of England Free SchoolBrentwood · 187 miles awayOutstanding56
Balcarras SchoolCheltenham · 125 miles awayOutstanding58.5
Howard of Effingham SchoolLeatherhead · 190 miles awayGood57.1
Bishop Heber High SchoolMalpas · 44 miles awayStrong standard53.8
All Hallows Catholic High SchoolPreston · 7 miles awayOutstanding55.6
Bishop Rawstorne Church of England AcademyLeyland · 5 miles awayStrong standard59.3
Presdales SchoolWare · 168 miles awayOutstanding58.9
Richard Hale SchoolHertford · 168 miles awayGood56.3
South Bromsgrove HighBromsgrove · 95 miles awayGood46.1
Harlington Upper SchoolDunstable · 147 miles awayGood47.8

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 94% (Lancashire 74%, England 59%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Lancashire 1%, England 2%) · Black African 1% (Lancashire 1%, England 5%) · Any other White background 1% (Lancashire 4%, England 7%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Lancashire 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Lancashire 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

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)
4.2%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
7.8%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

3.53 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Lancashire: 21.64 suspensions and 0.53 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
16.8
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

96% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 1% moved to another state school · 3% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

46.2% of teachers took sickness absence, 4.5 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 £55,258; 8.1% 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 (2024-25)

This school£6,950
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 81% (77%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 3% (6%) · supplies and services 11% (11%) · educational supplies 10% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (1%) · catering 0% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £1,218,000; in-year balance +£114,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
97%
Continuing in education
90%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
2%

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)
9/10among the least deprived fifth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher38.5%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications11.8%18.1%
In managerial or professional work42.5%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways10.8%18.1%
Residents in very good health46.7%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier86.5%62.3%
Social housing4.5%17.1%
Privately rented9%20.5%
Detached houses32%22.9%
Flats3.6%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms22.4%21.1%
Households with no car or van11.1%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01024937 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£170,000269 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£130,000–£260,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (63)£327,000
Semi-detached (79)£205,000
Terraced (99)£133,000
Flat (28)£89,000

Homes around this school are cheaper 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
18an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
5an 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