Best Schools in Ashton-under-Lyne

How many schools are there in Ashton-under-Lyne?

Ashton-under-Lyne has 26 open schools: 20 state primary, 3 state secondary or all-through, 1 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Ashton-under-Lyne are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Ashton-under-Lyne was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: St Damian's RC Science College. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 20 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

St Damian's RC Science College

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Ashton-under-Lyne get the best GCSE results?

Of the 4 schools in Ashton-under-Lyne with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Damian's RC Science College, with an Attainment 8 score of 56 and 68% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Mossley Hollins High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 47 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Dixons Ashton Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 37.7 and 27% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St Damian's RC Science CollegeMossley Hollins High SchoolDixons Ashton Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Ashton-under-Lyne have the best SATs results?

Of the 19 primary schools in Ashton-under-Lyne with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Livingstone Primary School (97% in reading, 100% in maths); Holden Clough Primary School (91% in reading, 92% in maths); and Milton St John's CofE Primary School (90% in reading, 93% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Livingstone Primary SchoolHolden Clough Primary SchoolMilton St John's CofE Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Ashton-under-Lyne?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Ashton-under-Lyne selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Ashton-under-Lyne have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Ashton-under-Lyne have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Tameside allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Ashton-under-Lyne?

Apply to Tameside through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.