League tables for secondary schools across Mid Cheshire have been published, but the government says the figures should be viewed ‘with caution’ due to the ongoing legacy of Covid’s impact on education.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published its figures for 2022-23 which rated pupil performance at the end of Key Stage 4, factoring in things such as number of GCSE passes in English and Maths, average scores in the English Baccalaureate qualification, and percentage of pupils staying in education or entering employment after leaving school.

The figures showed a number of schools across Cheshire more widely to be performing above average compared to the national average, with others falling below average.

But the DfE says the figures should not be viewed as a ‘like for like’ comparison with figures that were published in the immediate aftermath of Covid, due in part to exams being scored differently.

In a statement published alongside the figures, it said: "In 2022/23, qualifications returned to pre-pandemic standards.

“Performance measures that are based on qualification results will reflect this, and cannot be directly compared to measures from 2021/2022.”

The league tables are broken down by council.

In Cheshire West:

  • Performing 'above average' was Tarporley High School, St Nicholas Catholic High School in Northwich and The County High School in Leftwich.
  • Hartford Church of England and Weaverham High School were classed as having ‘average’ performance.
  • Performing ‘well below average’ was the Rudheath Senior Academy and The Winsford Academy.
  • Scores for several other schools were not published.

In Cheshire East:

  • Knutsford Academy, Wilmslow High School, and Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School were all ‘average’.
  • Middlewich High School scored ‘well below average’.
  • Other schools’ figures were not published.

But guidance published by the government alongside the figures urged caution due to the way exams had been graded during the pandemic.

It said: "Performance measures based on qualification results from 2022/23 cannot be directly compared to measures from 2021/22. This is because a different grading approach was used in 2021/22, to take account of the impact of the pandemic."

It said that in 2022/23 there was a return to pre-pandemic standards for GCSEs, AS and A levels, with what the government said was 'protection built in' to the grading process to recognise the disruption that students had faced.

It said there were also other factors contributing to recent performance issues, including what it called ‘uneven impacts of the pandemic on different schools/pupils'.

It added: "Performance data should be considered alongside a range of other information about the school or college, which could include looking at school or college websites, reading Ofsted reports, and speaking to the school or college directly. Conclusions should not be drawn on a single piece of data alone."