Holy Cross Catholic High SchoolSt Michael's Church of England High School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Chorley.
Summary of the comparison
Holy Cross Catholic High School and St Michael's Church of England High School are secondary schools in Chorley.
Holy Cross Catholic High School scores 72 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and St Michael's Church of England High School scores 74 out of 100 (grade B, strong). St Michael's Church of England High School is ahead on our composite score.
Holy Cross Catholic High School was judged Good and St Michael's Church of England High School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 55.4 for Holy Cross Catholic High School and 60.6 for St Michael's Church of England High School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Holy Cross Catholic High School (57.1 in 2021-22, 55.4 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at St Michael's Church of England High School (61.9 in 2021-22, 60.6 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | ChorleyHoly Cross Catholic High School | ChorleySt Michael's Church of England High School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B72/100 | B74/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 14th of 82 in Lancashire | 11th of 82 in Lancashire Stronger figure | |
| 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 | 976 | 1,134 | |
| Capacity | 975 | 1,125 | |
| Location | Chorley, PR7 3LS | Chorley, PR7 1RS | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 55.4 | 60.6 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 62.1% | 73.2% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 82.1% | 92.4% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 190 | 224 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 977 | 1,133 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 13.0% | 3.4% | |
| English as an additional language | 6.6% | 0.8% | |
| SEN support | 14.6% | 7.9% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.6% | 1.9% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 7.0% | 4.1% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 17.0% | 7.2% 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.
Holy Cross Catholic High School
St Michael's Church of England High School
Full profiles: Holy Cross Catholic High School · St Michael's Church of England High School