Philips High School, Manchester
Philips High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Manchester, part of Oak Learning Partnership. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 37th-highest of the 62 schools in Manchester with published results, and 1,588th of 3,298 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Bury (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Philips High School in detail
Philips High School in its own words
In its own words: "We provide every student with a caring, inclusive and safe learning environment to encourage a culture of academic excellence and outstanding achievement in all aspects of life. Our values are based around the ‘STAR’ concept - Success, Together, Aspire, Respect."
From the headteacher's welcome: "It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Philips High School. My vision is that our children receive the highest quality of education in a supportive, respectful and ambitious school environment."
Coming up: an open day on Saturday 31 October 2026 and an open day on Tuesday 2 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Philips High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.2 in Bury and 47 across England.
39% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 39% in Bury and 47% in England.
That is down from 50.3 in 2025.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 37.3, against 52.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.9 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Art and Design.
Getting a place at Philips High School
For September 2026 entry, 165 families put Philips High School as their first choice and 435 named it as one of their preferences, for 180 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 Philips High School are The Heys School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 33.1); Parrenthorn High School (1.5 miles, Attainment 8 45.4); Star Radcliffe Academy (1.6 miles); and Unsworth Academy (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.2).
Philips High School's 2026 results were higher than all 3 of them.
The Heys SchoolParrenthorn High SchoolStar Radcliffe AcademyUnsworth Academy
The trust
Philips High School is one of 9 schools run by Oak Learning Partnership, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 165 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 38% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Who goes there
37.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Whitefield (Manchester Metrolink), about 600 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Philips High School (outside), 70 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Philips High School issued 128 suspensions, 14.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Philips High School are Higher Lane Primary School (0.2 miles), Whitefield Community Primary School (0.6 miles), Ribble Drive Community Primary School (0.7 miles) and Our Lady of Grace RC Primary School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Higher Lane Primary SchoolWhitefield Community Primary SchoolRibble Drive Community Primary SchoolOur Lady of Grace RC Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Bury published that the last place for 2026 entry went to a family 4.384 miles away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Philips High School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2024. Before that, as Philips High School (URN 105360), it was rated Good in January 2013.
About
Philips High School is a community secondary school in Whitefield, Greater Manchester, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
37.7%
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
Attainment 8 has declined from 50.3 to 46.2 (2025 to 2026), while gCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 55% to 39% (2025 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 46.2 | 39.4% |
| Disadvantaged(68) | - | 37.3 | 23.5% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(102) | - | 52.2 | 50% |
| Boys(93) | - | 45.8 | 40.9% |
| Girls(77) | - | 46.7 | 37.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(26) | - | 53.3 | 50% |
| Non mobile(167) | - | 46.4 | 40.1% |
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) - 165 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.23%
Exclusion rate
128
Suspensions
14.68%
Suspension rate
40 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 872 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Latest from Philips High School
SENDIA Award Recognition
15 Jul 2026
Philips High School Achieves Bronze Emotionally Friendly Settings Award
11 May 2026
Visit from Footballer Seth Burkett
6 May 2026
Culture Week
31 Mar 2026
Space Academy visit
2 Mar 2026
Dance workshops
2 Mar 2026
From Philips High School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Philips High School
Term dates
Philips High School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Bury's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Philips High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Philips High School is in Bury; for families living there:
Apply to Bury for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 10 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Bury is 10 (the median across 92 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 Philips High School
Will you get a place at Philips High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Philips High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Philips High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Philips High School.
- Last distance offered for 2026 entry, from Bury's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Philips High School for 2025 and 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bury 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
870 pupils
880 places
10 spare places 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 Bury council
Places available
2,444
Applications
2,233
Got 1st preference
90.7%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Bury council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
111
SEN Support
31
EHC Plans
16.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
868
Total Pupils
464
Boys
404
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
50
Teachers
17.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£57,404
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,488
Per pupil
£7014k
Total funding
£354k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.1%
Overall absence
22.7%
Persistent absence
908
Enrolments
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
Philips High School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Philips High School
What are GCSE results like at Philips High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Philips High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46.2. 39% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Philips High School's Ofsted rating?
Philips High School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2024. Before that, as Philips High School (URN 105360), it was rated Good in January 2013.
How close to Philips High School do you need to live?
Bury published for September 2026 entry that the last place offered at Philips High School under its "Category 3" criterion went to a family 4.384 miles away. This is the authority's own figure for one year, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee.
Is it hard to get a place at Philips High School?
Philips High School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Philips High School?
Classes at Philips High School average 26.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Philips High School?
Philips High School has around 868 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Philips High School?
8.1% of sessions were missed at Philips High School in 2024/25. 22.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Philips High School?
Apply through Bury's coordinated admissions process, naming Philips High School 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 Philips High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 10 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Bury is 10 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Philips High School?
Philips High School is at Higher Lane, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 7PH.
Sources: Bury admissions booklet; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)