Dean Trust Ardwick, Manchester
Dean Trust Ardwick is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Manchester, part of The Dean Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 22nd-highest of the 62 schools in Manchester with published results, and 1,229th of 3,298 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
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.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Dean Trust Ardwick in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Dean Trust Ardwick averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.3 in Manchester and 47 across England.
47% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Manchester and 47% in England.
That is up from 46.6 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.12: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 47.3, against 50.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 3.4 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Spanish.
Getting a place at Dean Trust Ardwick
For September 2026 entry, 144 families put Dean Trust Ardwick as their first choice and 504 named it as one of their preferences, for 208 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Dean Trust Ardwick are St Peter's RC High School (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.7); Co-op Academy Belle Vue (0.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 52.9); Manchester Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.9); and Manchester Enterprise Academy Central (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.3).
Dean Trust Ardwick's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
St Peter's RC High SchoolCo-op Academy Belle VueManchester AcademyManchester Enterprise Academy Central
The trust
Dean Trust Ardwick is one of 11 schools run by The Dean Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.5 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 242 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 35% to a further education college and 2% to an apprenticeship.
Who goes there
62.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 66.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (48%), Black (21%) and other ethnic groups (14%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ardwick Rail Station, about 1100 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Plymouth Grove West (opposite), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Dean Trust Ardwick stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Dean Trust Ardwick issued 328 suspensions, 24.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 6 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Dean Trust Ardwick are Plymouth Grove Primary School (0.1 miles), St Luke's CofE Primary School (0.1 miles), St Joseph's RC Primary School Manchester (0.2 miles) and St John's CofE Primary School (0.3 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Plymouth Grove Primary SchoolSt Luke's CofE Primary SchoolSt Joseph's RC Primary School ManchesterSt John's CofE Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from May 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2018 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
62.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.12 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 44.7 to 48.4 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 37% to 47% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 48.4 | 47.1% |
| Disadvantaged(176) | - | 47.3 | 43.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(83) | - | 50.7 | 54.2% |
| Boys(156) | - | 47.5 | 48.1% |
| Girls(103) | - | 49.6 | 45.6% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(185) | - | 49.4 | 48.6% |
| Non mobile(248) | - | 48.9 | 47.6% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 4 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 242 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
6
Permanent exclusions
0.45%
Exclusion rate
328
Suspensions
24.50%
Suspension rate
161 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,339 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Dean Trust Ardwick
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Dean Trust Ardwick from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Dean Trust Ardwick is in Manchester; for families living there:
Apply to Manchester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 31
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 15
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 15 serious and 15 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Dean Trust Ardwick
Will you get a place at Dean Trust Ardwick? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Dean Trust Ardwick's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Dean Trust Ardwick:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Dean Trust Ardwick.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Manchester, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Dean Trust Ardwick for 2016 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Manchester got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
1,349 pupils
1,350 places
1 spare place in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Manchester
Across Manchester council
Places available
7,220
Applications
6,542
Got 1st preference
77.1%
Got preferred school
94.7%
All secondary applications across Manchester council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
163
SEN Support
43
EHC Plans
15.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,329
Total Pupils
790
Boys
539
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
94
Teachers
14.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,646
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,054
Per pupil
£11713k
Total funding
£815k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.8%
Overall absence
20.3%
Persistent absence
1,420
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Dean Trust Ardwick
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Dean Trust Ardwick
What are GCSE results like at Dean Trust Ardwick?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Dean Trust Ardwick achieved an Attainment 8 score of 48.4. 47% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Dean Trust Ardwick's Ofsted rating?
Dean Trust Ardwick's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Dean Trust Ardwick?
No fixed boundary. When Dean Trust Ardwick is oversubscribed, Manchester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Dean Trust Ardwick?
Dean Trust Ardwick was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Dean Trust Ardwick?
Classes at Dean Trust Ardwick average 20.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Dean Trust Ardwick?
Dean Trust Ardwick has around 1329 pupils on roll. 62% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Dean Trust Ardwick?
6.8% of sessions were missed at Dean Trust Ardwick in 2024/25. 20.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Dean Trust Ardwick?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming Dean Trust Ardwick on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Dean Trust Ardwick?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 15 serious and 15 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Dean Trust Ardwick?
Dean Trust Ardwick is at 345 Stockport Road, Manchester, Lancashire, M13 0LF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)