Cardinal Newman Catholic High SchoolBirchwood Community High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Warrington.
Summary of the comparison
Cardinal Newman Catholic High School and Birchwood Community High School are secondary schools in Warrington.
Cardinal Newman Catholic High School scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Birchwood Community High School scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Our score is the same for each of them on the data available.
Cardinal Newman Catholic High School was judged Good and Birchwood Community High School was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 45.1 for Cardinal Newman Catholic High School and 45.7 for Birchwood Community High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Cardinal Newman Catholic High School (46.9 in 2021-22, 45.1 in 2025-26) and has risen at Birchwood Community High School (43.0 in 2021-22, 45.7 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | WarringtonCardinal Newman Catholic High School | WarringtonBirchwood Community High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D54/100 | D54/100 | |
| Local ranking | 10th of 13 in Warrington Stronger figure | 11th of 13 in Warrington | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Voluntary aided school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 808 | 875 | |
| Capacity | 825 | 1,050 | |
| Location | Warrington, WA4 1RX | Warrington, WA3 7PT | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 45.1 | 45.7 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 42.4% | 43.9% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 63.6% Stronger figure | 61.7% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 165 | 180 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 855 | 889 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 30.5% | 37.6% | |
| English as an additional language | 23.0% | 13.6% | |
| SEN support | 16.7% | 18.0% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.9% | 4.4% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 9.4% Stronger figure | 9.9% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 27.4% Stronger figure | 29.1% | 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.
Cardinal Newman Catholic High School
Birchwood Community High School
Full profiles: Cardinal Newman Catholic High School · Birchwood Community High School