Schools in Widnes
Widnes and its surrounding area straddle the Cheshire West and Knowsley council boundary. The town has 32 schools - 20 primaries and three secondaries - with 14 faith-designated settings, the highest proportion of any area in this grouping, reflecting Widnes's strong Catholic community heritage linked to Irish immigration in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Admissions in Widnes can be administered by either Knowsley, Cheshire West, or Halton Council depending on the school's location and governance. Eight schools operate as academies with independent admissions. Parents should check the specific admissions authority for each school, as a Catholic primary and a community primary on the same street may use entirely different oversubscription criteria and application portals.
School demand in Widnes
Across the 27 schools in Widnes with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 91%. 5 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.
14 schools in Widnes have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
8 of the schools in Widnes are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Knowsley, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
16 of the schools in Widnes have a current Ofsted rating, of which 16 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary schools in Widnes: 3 oversubscribed (20)
Holy Family Catholic Primary School & Nursery
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Widnes · WA8 5DW
Moorfield Primary School
Primary · Community school
Widnes · WA8 3HJ
Fairfield Primary School
Primary · Community school
Widnes · WA8 6TH
Lunts Heath Primary School
Primary · Community school
Widnes · WA8 9RJ
Halebank CofE Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Widnes · WA8 8UZ
St Bede's Catholic Junior School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
WIDNES · WA8 6EL
St Bede's Catholic Infant School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Widnes · WA8 6EL
St Basil's Catholic Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Widnes · WA8 4SZ
St Gerard's Catholic Primary and Nursery School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Widnes · WA8 6DD
St John Fisher Catholic Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Widnes · WA8 0BW
St Michaels Catholic Primary & Nursery School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Widnes · WA8 8TD
Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Widnes · WA8 9HS
All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Widnes · WA8 4PG
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Widnes · WA8 8JN
Oakfield Community Primary School
Primary · Community school
Widnes · WA8 8BQ
Widnes Academy
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Widnes · WA8 0EL
Cronton Church of England Primary Academy
Primary · Academy converter
Widnes · WA8 5DF
St Michael with St Thomas CE Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Widnes · WA8 8LD
Ditton Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Widnes · WA8 7HD
Kingsway Primary Academy School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Widnes · WA8 7QS
Secondary Schools in Widnes (3)
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School
Secondary · Voluntary aided school
Widnes · WA8 7DW
Wade Deacon High School
Secondary · Academy converter
Widnes · WA8 7TD
Ormiston Chadwick Academy
Secondary · Academy sponsor led
Widnes · WA8 7HU
Other Schools in Widnes (9)
Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools - Ditton Nursery School
Nursery · Local authority nursery school
Widnes · WA8 8DF
Birchfield Nursery School
Nursery · Local authority nursery school
widnes · WA8 7TH
Aspiring Foundations Federated Nursery Schools - Warrington Road Nursery School
Nursery · Local authority nursery school
Widnes · WA8 0BS
Chesnut Lodge Special School
Not applicable · Community special school
Widnes · WA8 7HF
Ashley High School
Not applicable · Community special school
Widnes · WA8 7HG
Riverside College Halton
All through · Further education
Widnes · WA8 7QQ
Brookfields School
Not applicable · Academy special converter
Widnes · WA8 3JA
Poppy Field School
Not applicable · Other independent special school
Widnes · WA8 6DH
The Raise Academy
Not applicable · Free schools special
Widnes · WA8 0BS
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Widnes are set by Knowsley and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.