Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic CollegeSaint Ambrose College
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Altrincham.
Summary of the comparison
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College and Saint Ambrose College are secondary schools in Altrincham.
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College scores 61 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Saint Ambrose College scores 86 out of 100 (grade A, exceptional). Saint Ambrose College is ahead on our composite score.
Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College was judged the expected standard and Saint Ambrose College was judged strong.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 48.9 for Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College and 76.2 for Saint Ambrose College.
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 Saint Ambrose College (72.8 in 2021-22, 76.2 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | AltrinchamBlessed Thomas Holford Catholic College | AltrinchamSaint Ambrose College | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C61/100 | A86/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 10th of 18 in Trafford | 5th of 18 in Trafford Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Boys | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,614 | 1,091 | |
| Capacity | 1,700 | 1,050 | |
| Location | Altrincham, WA15 8HT | Altrincham, WA15 0HE | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 48.9 | 76.2 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 42.1% | 98.0% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 66.3% | 100.0% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 9.6% | 77.3% Stronger figure | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.79 | 7.10 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 261 | 150 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 112 | 126 | |
| A-level average points | 31.9 | 44.5 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | B+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 32.9 | 44.6 Stronger figure | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 3.9% | 39.7% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,614 | 1,091 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 14.8% | 8.0% | |
| English as an additional language | 10.7% | 8.9% | |
| SEN support | 17.7% | 2.6% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.5% | 0.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.8% | 4.1% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 21.6% | 5.7% 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
A-level average points
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
Saint Ambrose College
Full profiles: Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College · Saint Ambrose College