What schools serve Northwich?

There are 41 schools in Northwich, Cheshire West and Chester, including Moulton School, Charles Darwin Community Primary School, Weaverham Forest Primary School, Hartford Manor Primary School & Nursery, Wincham Community Primary School and more. You can view each school's catchment area guidance and admissions policy on catchment.school.

How many primary and secondary schools are in Northwich?

Northwich has 26 primary schools and 5 secondary schools. There are also 10 other schools (such as all-through or special schools) in the area. All data is sourced from the Department for Education's GIAS register.

How do I find out if my address is in a school's catchment area in Northwich?

To check whether your address falls within a school's catchment area in Northwich, use the postcode search tool at catchment.school. Catchment area boundaries for Northwich schools are set by Cheshire West and Chester and reviewed each year. You can also consult the school's admissions policy or contact the Cheshire West and Chester admissions team directly for the most up-to-date boundary maps.

Who sets catchment area boundaries for schools in Northwich?

Catchment area boundaries for schools in Northwich are set by Cheshire West and Chester as the admissions authority. Community and voluntary-controlled schools follow the council's published admissions policy, while academies and voluntary-aided schools may set their own. Boundaries are reviewed annually and published each September for the following academic year.

Schools in Northwich

Reviewed by the catchment.school editorial team · Last updated 15 March 2026

Northwich sits in the Weaver Valley at the heart of Cheshire West and Chester, and its 41 schools span the town itself and surrounding villages including Winsford, Middlewich, Moulton, Hartford and Weaverham. Cheshire West and Chester Council coordinates all maintained school admissions, publishing catchment boundaries each autumn.

Secondary provision in Northwich runs through Hartford High School, Rudheath Academy and The Weaverham School, each with defined geographic catchments. Cheshire West operates a mixed secondary landscape with no selective schools in this area, so all places resolve on distance after looked-after children and siblings.

The salt-mining heritage of the Northwich area has left some areas of ground subsidence that have historically affected school building footprints; most schools are now on stable modern sites. School places are moderately competitive, with last-admitted distances typically in the 0.5-2 mile range depending on the school and year.

School demand in Northwich

Across the 36 schools in Northwich with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 88%. 6 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.

12 schools in Northwich have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.

18 of the schools in Northwich are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Cheshire West and Chester, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.

15 of the schools in Northwich have a current Ofsted rating, of which 15 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.

Primary schools in Northwich: 4 oversubscribed (26)

Moulton School

Primary · Community school

Northwich · CW9 8PD

Ages 4-11 203 pupils Capacity 210

Charles Darwin Community Primary School

Primary · Community school

Northwich · CW8 1BN

Ages 4-11 355 pupils Capacity 342

Weaverham Forest Primary School

Primary · Community school

Northwich · CW8 3EY

Ages 2-11 226 pupils Capacity 210

Hartford Manor Primary School & Nursery

Primary · Community school

Northwich · CW8 1NU

Ages 3-11 452 pupils Capacity 420

Wincham Community Primary School

Primary · Community school

Northwich · CW9 6EP

Ages 3-11 277 pupils Capacity 315

Winnington Park Community Primary and Nursery School

Primary · Community school

Northwich · CW8 4AZ

Ages 3-11 406 pupils Capacity 420