Outstanding by Tradition

Established in 1557, Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College prides itself on a long tradition of academic excellence. We provide specialist A level provision in more than 30 subjects and are proudly ranked amongst the highest achieving sixth form colleges in the country. The impressive riverside campus, situated in the heart of Cheshire, welcomes incredible students from across the region along with an outstanding calibre of teaching professionals. A purpose built campus sets the scene for a culture and ethos that puts the learning and success of every individual at the heart of everything we do. A high proportion of our students go on to higher education with around a third securing First Class Honours from the country’s top universities, leaving them well placed to advance in their chosen path.

Welcome from the Principal

Mission & Values

Here at Sir John Deane’s we believe that every student should experience a passion for their subjects, a love of learning and an ambition to succeed.

Studying here means that you will meet some of the most committed, brilliant teachers in the country and work alongside bright minds like your own in an environment that hums with energy and excitement.

Being a Sir John Deane’s student means that you are curious, caring and responsible. Curious to learn and to explore, caring about your future and the contribution you will make to the world, and responsible for being the very best you can be.

As our extraordinary results over many years show, the college has a transformational effect on the lives of our students. We will open your horizons and help you find your place in the world, whilst helping you achieve the success you strive for.

We are committed to giving you a special college experience, and on behalf of all teachers and current students we very much look forward to welcoming you to our sixth form.

Christopher Atherton

Principal

Our teachers and education professionals hold a shared mission of excellence, opportunity and compassion.

We see the value in every student and help them to achieve their goals by creating an environment that understands and celebrates difference, whilst providing an incredible education and life opportunities for all students.

A History of Excellence

For as much as God's glory, his honour, and the wealth public, is advanced and maintained by no means more than by virtuous education and bringing up of Youth under such as be learned and virtuous Schoolmasters, whose good examples may as well instruct them to live well as their doctrine and learning may furnish their minds with knowledge and cunning, [I] have thought it good, not only to erect the said Free Grammar School, and to provide a reasonable and competent Stypend for the Schoolmaster of the same, and that in respect of the zeal that I have to God's glory, and for the love that I bear to my native country...

Extract: Sir John Deane, Statutes, 1557

Sir John Deane’s has a long and proud history that dates back 460 years. A local clergyman, Sir John Deane rose through the church ranks and later became a rector at St Bartholomew the Great in London.

Never forgetting his roots, and keen to provide the inhabitants of his native area with the means of self-improvement through education, he set up a charitable trust and gifted the land on which the first school was built in 1557.

In 1907, the school, then a boys’ grammar, moved to its current riverside site thanks to the generosity of another local benefactor, Sir John Brunner. Brunner, alongside Ludwig Mond, developed the wealthiest British chemical company of the late nineteenth century, which became the biggest employer in the area for decades after. Brunner’s kind donation, which marked the 350th anniversary of the school, laid the foundations for the next 100 years, and inspired a new generation of young learners. The environment has since advanced with a £28 million regeneration of the site, however, the College campus is still firmly rooted in its proud history and heritage, which is evident in our flourishing boat club, distinctive crest and historic buildings. A portrait of Sir John Brunner hangs in the Brunner Hall, looking over new generations of students and reminding us all of the importance our history plays in underpinning the success of our future and our core principles of ambition, excellence, resilience and loyalty.