Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic CollegeNorth Cestrian School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Altrincham.
Summary of the comparison
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College and North Cestrian School are secondary schools in Altrincham.
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College scores 61 out of 100 (grade C, average) and North Cestrian School scores 66 out of 100 (grade C, average). North Cestrian School is ahead on our composite score.
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College was judged the expected standard and North Cestrian School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 48.9 for Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College and 54.2 for North Cestrian School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College (51.5 in 2021-22, 48.9 in 2024-25) and has risen at North Cestrian School (52.0 in 2021-22, 54.2 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | AltrinchamBlessed Thomas Holford Catholic College | AltrinchamNorth Cestrian School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C61/100 | C66/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 10th of 18 in Trafford | 9th of 18 in Trafford Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,614 | 777 | |
| Capacity | 1,700 | 755 | |
| Location | Altrincham, WA15 8HT | Altrincham, WA14 4AJ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 48.9 | 54.2 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 42.1% | 60.1% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 66.3% | 85.8% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 9.6% | 18.9% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.79 | 4.56 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 261 | 148 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 112 | Not reported | |
| A-level average points | 31.9 | Not reported | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | Not reported | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 32.9 | Not reported | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 3.9% | Not reported | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,614 | 777 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 14.8% | 17.8% | |
| English as an additional language | 10.7% | 28.2% | |
| SEN support | 17.7% | 9.7% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.5% | 5.2% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.8% Stronger figure | 7.9% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 21.6% | 21.2% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College
North Cestrian School
Full profiles: Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College · North Cestrian School