The County High School, Leftwich

The County High School, Leftwich is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, for students between 11 and 16 years of age, in Leftwich, Cheshire, England.

The County High School
Address
Granville Road Northwich , Cheshire , CW9 8EZ England
Coordinates	53.2416°N 2.5066°W
Information
Type	Academy
Established	1957 (1978)
Department for Education URN	138743 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Chair	Alison Massey
Principal	Matthew Snelson
Gender	Coeducational
Age	11 to 16
Enrolment	933
Colour(s)	Claret and blue
Website	Leftwich High

History

The school was established in 1957 as the Northwich County Grammar School for Girls.[1][2] The school was later known as Leftwich High School until the early 1990s before becoming the County High School Leftwich.

Comprehensive

The school became a comprehensive in September 1978, with sixth form pupils from the school and the former Sir John Deane's Grammar School going to the new Sir John Deane's College.

Academy

The school converted to academy status on 1 September 2012. The school is in partnership with Sir John Deane's College as part of the Sir John Brunner Foundation.

Academic performance

The school gets good GCSE results, well above the England average, and slightly above the Cheshire average. Results have steadily improved over the last 6 years. The 2016 Ofsted inspection graded the school as "outstanding" (the highest rating available).[3] In the 2015/16 academic year the school achieved its highest ever result with 86% of students receiving at least 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C.[4] This result put the school as the top rated secondary comprehensive in Cheshire[5]

Notable former pupils

Northwich County Grammar School for Girls

• Sue Birtwistle, television producer of well-known BBC costume dramas such as the 1995 Pride and Prejudice and the 1996 Emma
• Moira Buffini, playwright, film director and actress, who notably wrote the 2010 play Handbagged about Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher, and the 2010 film Tamara Drewe
• Carole Crofts, British Ambassador to Azerbaijan since 2016
• Diana Johnson, Labour MP since 2005 for Hull North (in attendance from 1977–82)[6]
• Jennifer Saunders, comedian, best known as half of French and Saunders and for the television series Absolutely Fabulous[7]
• Shirley Strong, Olympic hurdler, who won the silver medal in women's 100 metres hurdles at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles (attended 1970–75)

Leftwich High School

• Tim Burgess, lead singer of English alternative rock band The Charlatans.
• Michelle Donelan MP[8]

References

1. "Female head to make her mark". Cheshire Live. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
2. "NORTHWICH COUNTY GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR GIRLS". The National Archives. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
3. Platt, Dawn; Chambers, Paul; Hollister, Claire; Harding, Marcia; Patterson, Annette; Birchall, Christine (25 April 2016). "Inspection report: The County High School Leftwich, 8–9 March 2016". ofsted.gov.uk. Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
4. "The County High School, Leftwich". Leftwichhigh.com. August 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
5. "Where are Cheshire's top schools for GCSE results?". Chesterchronicle.co.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
6. Waller, Robert. The Almanac of British Politics. Routledge. p. 556. Retrieved 14 February 2019. 'Northwich County Grammar School for Girls'.
7. Hyams, Jacky (October 2012). Jennifer Saunders - The Unauthorised Biography of the Absolutely Fabulous Star. ISBN 9781782190844. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
8. Anon (2017). "Donelan, Michelle Emma May Elizabeth". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U283877. (subscription or UK public library membership required)