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Schools across Manchester

Local authority · 222 schools across 16 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Manchester (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Manchester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Manchester →

Schools in Manchester (222)

Showing 20 of 222 schools

Total Schools

222

137 primary · 30 secondary

Total Pupils

96,844

91% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

51

12 outstanding · 39 good

Capacity

106,077

9,233 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

39
166
Outstanding: 12
Good: 39
Requires Improvement: 5
Not inspected: 166

Best Schools in Manchester

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

43.2

GCSE Eng+Maths

38.6%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

89% full
50,367 pupils56,529 capacity

6,162 spare places

Secondary Schools

94% full
33,394 pupils35,425 capacity

2,031 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.8%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

18.6%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

169

2024/25

Absence trend across Manchester schools

4.4%
18/19
5.3%
20/21
6.9%
21/22
7.1%
22/23
6.6%
23/24
6.8%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

55%

Plans Issued

1,524

Assessment Requests

2,269

Tribunal Cases

9

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

65%
2019
51%
2020
68%
2021
49%
2022
51%
2023
64%
2024
55%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

7,247 admissions

116

Lodged

(1.6%)

41

Heard

9

Successful

(22%)

Primary (infant classes)

6,498 admissions

61

Lodged

(0.9%)

25

Heard

1

Successful

(4%)

Secondary

8,056 admissions

713

Lodged

(8.9%)

476

Heard

94

Successful

(20%)

Total

15,303 admissions

829

Lodged

(5.4%)

517

Heard

103

Successful

(20%)

Total appeals lodged per year

1927
2019
1827
2020
1684
2021
2117
2022
2024
2023
1611
2024
1754
2025
1719
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Manchester

Manchester

205 schools

Longsight

2 schools

Gorton

2 schools

Wythenshawe

1 schools

Greater Manchester

1 schools

1 Queens Avenue

1 schools

Levenshulme

1 schools

Whalley Range

1 schools

Ardwick

1 schools

Fairfield Street

1 schools

Hulme

1 schools

Off King Street

1 schools

Salford

1 schools

Chorlton

1 schools

MANCHESTER

1 schools

Crumpsall

1 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Manchester

How many schools are there in Manchester?

Manchester has 222 open schools: 137 state primary, 32 state secondary or all-through, 15 independent, 26 special and 12 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Manchester are rated Outstanding?

34 schools in Manchester were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Old Moat Primary School, Martenscroft Nursery School & Children's Centre, Holy Name Roman Catholic Primary School Manchester, Manley Park Primary School, St Mary's CofE Junior and Infant School and 29 more. Counting Good as well, 91% of the 175 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.

Old Moat Primary SchoolMartenscroft Nursery School & Children's CentreHoly Name Roman Catholic Primary School ManchesterManley Park Primary SchoolSt Mary's CofE Junior and Infant School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Manchester get the best GCSE results?

Of the 33 schools in Manchester with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Manchester, with an Attainment 8 score of 61.8 and 68% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Didsbury High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.8 and 62% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Chorlton High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 54.5 and 66% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, ManchesterDidsbury High SchoolChorlton High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Manchester have the best SATs results?

Of the 125 primary schools in Manchester with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Didsbury CofE Primary School (96% in reading, 92% in maths); Abbey Hey Primary Academy (93% in reading, 92% in maths); and St Wilfrid's CofE Junior and Infant School (91% in reading, 94% 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.

Didsbury CofE Primary SchoolAbbey Hey Primary AcademySt Wilfrid's CofE Junior and Infant School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Manchester?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Manchester selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Manchester have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Manchester have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Manchester 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 Manchester?

Apply to Manchester 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. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables