Saint Ambrose College, Altrincham

Ofsted's report card from its 25 November 2025 inspection grades Saint Ambrose College on 7 areas: 2 exceptional and 5 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Exceptional. "Pupils are highly motivated to learn and, as a result, make incredible progress through the curriculum."

Personal development and wellbeing - Exceptional. "The personal development programme has been expertly designed to ensure that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, can develop morally, socially, spiritually and culturally."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils' attendance is prioritised by leaders."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "The highly ambitious curriculum has been appropriately sequenced so that pupils can deepen their understanding of concepts and link new knowledge to what they have learned before."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have ensured that staff know and understand the barriers to learning that pupils may face."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders have a clear and accurate idea of the school's strengths and weaknesses."

Post 16 provision - Strong standard. "Leaders' secure understanding of the 16 to 19 study programmes has led to a carefully designed curriculum that provides students access to rigorous academic options and personal interests through extended project work."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders and those responsible for governance should sustain the effectiveness of their work in all areas. They should seek continued improvement, overcoming barriers and challenges, in order to drive a transformational impact for all pupils. This includes disadvantaged pupils, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are known (or previously known) to children's social care, and those who may face other barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing".

In its own words: "Saint Ambrose College is a Catholic, state-funded independent grammar school with a diverse, selective intake. As a state-funded school, there are no fees. We are part of The Gaudete Trust and the Laetare MAT, and we enjoy strong ties with the Edmund Rice Schools Network both nationally and internationally, as well as the Diocese of Shrewsbury."

From the headteacher's welcome: "I am absolutely delighted to be Principal at St Ambrose College and consider it a privilege to be entrusted with the leading of the college at such an exciting time. Saint Ambrose College is a Catholic, state-funded Grammar School with a selective intake. As a state-funded school, there are no fees."

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 12 November 2026, an open evening on Monday 4 January 2027, an open evening on Wednesday 13 January 2027 and an open evening on Thursday 28 January 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Saint Ambrose College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 72.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 58.2 in Trafford and 47 across England.

99% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 66% in Trafford and 47% in England.

That is down from 76.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 1.04: pupils made well 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 67.6, against 72.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 5.1 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Chemistry and Physics.

Saint Ambrose College is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 223 families put Saint Ambrose College as their first choice and 458 named it as one of their preferences, for 149 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 86 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Saint Ambrose College admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Saint Ambrose College ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Trafford's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Trafford has 7 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Saint Ambrose College are Altrincham College (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47); Altrincham Grammar School for Boys (1.4 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 79.1); Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College (1.5 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 47.1); and Dixons Newall Green Academy (1.6 miles).

Saint Ambrose College's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.

Saint Ambrose College is one of 5 schools run by The Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

246 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Saint Ambrose College (as of April 2026): 98% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that they are kept well informed about progress (94%).

Of the 178 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 99% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 2% to a further education college and 1% to an apprenticeship.

Of the 133 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 79% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 8% into work. 44% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

6.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 9.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (49%), Black (18%) and Asian (13%).

In 2026, 53 pupils (4.8%) received SEN support and 8 (0.7%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.

The nearest railway station is Hale Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Ambrose College (outside), 30 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Saint Ambrose College stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Saint Ambrose College issued 54 suspensions, 4.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Saint Ambrose College are Well Green Primary School (0.4 miles), Elmridge Primary School (0.4 miles), Stamford Park Primary School (1.2 miles) and Cloverlea Primary School (1.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.