Lostock High School, Manchester

Ofsted's report card from its 17 March 2026 inspection grades Lostock High School on 6 areas: 1 expected standard and 5 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have taken careful account of pupils' wide-ranging social and emotional needs, as well as their diverse backgrounds, in designing the school's personal development programme."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Different groups of pupils achieve unevenly at this school."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Overall rates of attendance have been consistently below national averages for some time."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Most teachers have appropriate subject knowledge."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Staff care deeply for pupils' wellbeing."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders and governors understand that there is work to do to improve pupils' experience at school."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the rigour with which pupils at the highest levels of need are supported is replicated for pupils across the school"; "Leaders should ensure that approaches to teachers' professional learning bring about consistently effective practice across subjects and year groups"; "Leaders should maximise their efforts to encourage pupils to attend school regularly, and in particular those vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils who are most frequently absent"; "Leaders should enhance their mechanisms to evaluate the success of school improvement strategies, in order to ensure that the greatest emphasis is given to the things that make the most difference".

In its own words: "Our curriculum is dedicated to ENRICH the lives of our young people: Educate - with specialist teaching staff and caring support staff as well as exceptional facilities (performing arts theatre, dance studio, sports hall, gym, music suites and recording studio to name a few....) we make sure your education is broad, balanced and ambitious."

From the headteacher's welcome: "I am delighted and incredibly proud to welcome you to Lostock High School as your new Interim Headteacher. Having been part of the Lostock community for many years, I know first-hand what makes this school so special."

In 2026, pupils at Lostock High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 58.2 in Trafford and 47 across England.

33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 66% in Trafford and 47% in England.

That is down from 43.7 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.73: pupils made well below 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 28.2, against 43 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Chemistry.

For September 2026 entry, 36 families put Lostock High School as their first choice and 173 named it as one of their preferences, for 77 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Lostock High School are St Antony's Roman Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 44.3); Urmston Grammar Academy (1.3 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 75.6); Stretford High School (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.5); and Stretford Grammar School (1.5 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 75.5).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Lostock High School.

39 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lostock High School (as of April 2026): 59% would recommend the school, 62% say their child is happy there and 43% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (62%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (43%).

Of the 82 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 60% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

40.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 44.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (31%), Asian (28%) and Mixed (11%).

In 2026, 84 pupils (16.4%) received SEN support and 57 (11.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

Lostock High School has a resourced provision for autism: 30 places, 24 pupils on roll.

Lostock High School had 48 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Humphrey Park Rail Station, about 310 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Old Hall Road (near), 120 metres away.

In 2024/25, Lostock High School issued 193 suspensions, 37 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Lostock High School are St Hugh of Lincoln RC Primary School (0.3 miles), Barton Clough Primary School (0.3 miles), Kingsway Primary School (0.5 miles) and Highfield Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.