Helsby High School

The School

Helsby High School is an established 11-18 mixed comprehensive with 1279 students on roll, including 157 in the Sixth Form.  The school is situated on an open site on the outskirts of the village.  The buildings of the original boys' and girls' grammar schools have been adapted and major building work has been undertaken which has provided accommodation appropriate to the needs of a modern comprehensive school.  In September 2009 the school absorbed students from a neighbouring school leaving Helsby High School as the only secondary school serving the community of Frodsham and Helsby and the surrounding villages.  There are fourteen primary schools in the catchment area and the school has proved popular over the years and attracts students from primary schools over a wide area, including schools from the Halton area.  The primary partner schools and Helsby High form an Educational Improvement Partnership which meets regularly to support pupils’ learning from 5 to 18.

Curriculum and Organisation

The organisation and curriculum of the school are designed to provide a secure basis for the development of each individual student and the maintenance of high levels of achievement in all aspects of the life of the school.  On entry to the school, students are placed in mixed ability tutor groups and taught a variety of subjects including Science, Mathematics, English, Geography, History, Social Sciences, Technology, PE, Business, Computing and Economics and Modern Languages.  In the first three years, all students follow a common, broadly-based curriculum.  Particular care is taken to make appropriate provision for students with additional needs who are supported by a team of Learning Support Assistants

Achievement

Helsby High School has a tradition of outstanding academic achievement at all levels.  The school has been regularly recognised as one of the top performing schools in the region.  Students follow courses leading to examinations at Advanced Level and the consistently high success rate in these examinations has been maintained.  The majority of students continue in higher education.  The last Ofsted inspection in 2023 described the school as “good”.

Extra-Curricular Activities

The school has a long-established commitment to extra-curricular activities supported by the staff.  Traditional team games are a major feature of this and the school enjoys significant success at District, County and National level.  The musical life of the school is also outstanding in the involvement of the students and the quality of performance at all levels.  The school also supports an ambitious programme of trips and residential visits.

The school has invested heavily in its sports facilities in recent years with new netball and tennis courts and a floodlit artificial grass pitch that opened in autumn 2021.